Rosalind Kerry (LEPRA) – 3 July 2018

Rosalind Kerry came all the way from her home in the Borders to speak to us about the work of LEPRA, a UK-based international charity working to beat leprosy. This disease affects the most vulnerable people in the world, causing life-changing disabilities, but there is a relatively cheap and simple cure.

Rosalind had lived for 18 years in Africa and immediately she returned to the UK in 1994 she took up a post with LEPRA. Since then she has worked tirelessly to promote awareness and understanding of leprosy. It is a disease which causes severe ulceration which can badly affect hands, feet and eyes. Rosalind is passionate about the injustice of the disease and believes that access to a cure is a basic human rights issue. It is a common misconception in the west that leprosy is disease of the past but in fact many thousands of cases still occur each year in poor countries, predominantly India and Bangladesh which account for 70% of cases today. Many cases still go untreated and yet it costs only about £25 to successfully treat a child with easily obtainable medication. Leprosy can affect all ages but the great majority of sufferers are under 25.

Rosalind explained that LEPRA exercises a policy of complete care for sufferers, sometimes long after the physical symptoms have been cured. She also acknowledged the financial support given by Rotary over the years.

John Ewing, in his vote of thanks, complimented Rosalind on her excellent clarity of speaking and confessed that he had known very little about leprosy prior to her instructive talk.

Donations to LEPRA can be made through the website https://www.lepra.org.uk/Pages/Category/ways-to-donate .