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Odisha: 169 leprosy patients turn traders from beggars

TURNING THE TIDE: With help from NGOs, colony in Odisha creates lucrative biz

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Women seen working at mushroom farms in the colony of leprosy patients in Rourkela, Odisha
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"Gone are those days when we used to sit in our houses and do nothing," said Lakshmi Vishwal, a leprosy patient from Rourkela in Odisha. "Now we can proudly say that we are traders," she said.

Vishwal is a leprosy patient and like others like her from the region, she used to do nothing to earn a living until 2017. But their fates changed as they found a messiah in a social worker who transformed their lives.

This is the story of a leprosy colony in the Bazaar street of Ispat Nagari, Rourkela. A total of 169 patients were affected with leprosy across 65 households in the area. Ostracised by the entire town, these people had to beg for alms to be able to secure a meal. However, a novel initiative by some social workers and the Rourkela Mahanagar Nigam changed their lives. These leprosy patients have carved a place for themselves among the townspeople.

"When we came here in 2017, the inhabitants of the colony did not accept us," said Priyanka, a social worker. "But gradually things became better, we started growing mushrooms in 2018 starting with just one house and eventually across all of them," she added.

Most of the mushroom-growing is done by self-help groups formed by the women of the colony. In addition to this, these women also built vermicompost pits to dispose garbage. "We created vermicompost and sold it off in the market for a considerable sum," said Savitri Nayak, an inhabitant of the colony. The women have started producing phenyl too.

As their profits doubled with mushroom farming and sale of vermicompost, the residents of the colony also earned respect from the townspeople. "They used to hate us and kept us in isolation but things have changed now. They have become more accepting of us," said Prabhasini Majhi, another resident. In addition to this, many people from outside the colony have also joined their trade thanks to the high quality of products.

Zee Media Newsroom

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