Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. Its colorful and culturally rich heritage has attracted people from all across the country, and the world, for centuries now. But amidst all the temples, shrines, palaces, and busy alleyways is a small colony named ‘Kashi’ in Raj Ghat, Varanasi. This colony is unlike any other. It’s a community of families from Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, and other states in the country. And they all have one thing in common - at least one person from every family is suffering from leprosy.
Leprosy is a progressive bacterial infection that produces skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness. If left untreated, it can cause severe disfigurement and disability. The leprosy patients living in Kashi colony have to face innumerable difficulties every day.
Along with the physical disadvantages of the disease, these people also have to live in great poverty. Many of them are forced to beg on the streets of Varanasi to afford even the most basic necessities. Kashi colony has about 200 families living there, that’s about 1000 people, including 350+ children who are struggling to get by. While some of the adults had jobs with a meager income, the pandemic has taken away even that from them. Now, these 200 families have no one to help them.
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With no tourists visiting, these families don’t even have alms to rely on. The children are forced to drop out of school, and most families go to bed hungry. They are on the brink of starvation.
Hope Welfare Trust, a volunteer-based NGO, is determined to help the families struggling with leprosy and poverty in this colony. Started by a group of students in 2015, Hope Welfare Trust’s mission is to work towards rural development and women empowerment. They work in 150+ villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh to uplift the most vulnerable. Today, they need your help to give these families hope, by donating groceries kits to them.
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With your help, Hope Welfare Trust will be able to give these families a chance to have healthy meals after a long time. They have so far provided the children at Kashi colony with stationery and books and also organized a medical camp to distribute medicines. However, they’re struggling to feed them without any other support.
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Your contribution will give 1,000 adults and children a chance for a better, healthier future.
About Hope Welfare Trust: It’s a voluntary-based NGO in Varanasi, started by a group of students in 2015. Their mission is to bring sustainable development to rural communities, with women’s empowerment playing a key role. So far, they have worked in 150+ villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh to uplift the most vulnerable. They continue to work hard towards rural development.
