In Focus

Part Three: Titagarh

By Carissa Raisbeck ’02

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to Titagarh, a leper colony started by Mother Teresa. We took a train to get there because it is 30 to 40 minutes outside of Calcutta. The leprosarium was opened in 1958 and has grown immensely since then. The center is run entirely by the Brothers of Charity and by the lepers themselves.

In the clinic, the Brothers see approximately 1,000 patients per week, all of whom are suffering from leprosy. In the same facility, there is an operating room where amputations are performed. Most of the people at the clinic are from surrounding communities and live outside the center. However, there are approximately 100 patients living in the wards at the center.

The leper colony itself is an amazing place, full of joy and life! The incredible thing about Titagarh is that it is completely self-sufficient. All of the employees are former patients who now live at the center with their families. This gives them an opportunity to provide for their families. Their only other option is to beg on the streets, because jobs are simply not available for lepers.

Within the colony there are 10 main areas:

1. Artificial Limb Center: here the lepers make prosthetic limbs for those who have had amputations.

2. Footwear Center: here a cobbler makes special shoes to protect the lepers’ feet.

3. Carpentry Section: all the crutches and furniture come from this area.

4. Handloom Unit: this unit is lined with men and women spinning spools of thread and running handlooms. The lepers make all the sheets, diapers, clothes, etc. for all the homes for the Missionaries of Charity throughout the world.

5. Tailoring Unit: the children of the leprosy patients are taught the art of tailoring so they can earn a living.

6. Agriculture: here they grow all their own fruits and vegetables.

7. Animal Husbandry: they raise pigs to sell and maintain fishponds that provide fish for the patients.

8. School: the children of employees and residential patients are able to complete their primary education on-site, free of charge until 10 years of age. After this they go on to a boarding school.

9. Living Quarters: more than 200 families live at the center, in simple two room huts.

10. Men’s and Women’s Wards: the more severe patients live in special wards where they receive ongoing care.

As you can imagine, Titagarh is a large facility! All of the land was donated to Mother Teresa by the Indian government. It is amazing to see what they have done with this incredible resource.

As a team, we were able to sit with some of the patients while visiting the wards. I could not help but think about how each one of those men and women must long for human touch and affection. When I looked into their eyes I could see the fear of rejection. They lived in a society where their disease alienated them and they were considered "untouchable." To them, we represented the outside society, and our unconditional acceptance of them made a huge impact.

One man told me that they were going to amputate his arm and leg. As he was talking, his voice quivered with fear and his eyes filled with tears. I think about how frightened he must have been, but it is good to know that he is in a place where he is well cared for, accepted, and loved. I was grateful for the opportunity to sit with him and restore some of the dignity that he felt he was losing.

In the women’s ward, we sang "Shout to the Lord" to the patients as we sat with them. It was incredible to experience the presence of the Lord in that place. I could see the tears well up in the eyes of the women, just to feel loved through a simple song and touch. Immediately I would see the fear of rejection disappear from their faces. I was filled with compassion as I held what were the hands of one woman and saw her reaction. I can not help but think of the story of Jesus touching the lepers, and now I better understand the significance of His touch and how He showed His love through His actions. I pray that God would use me as His hands and feet to touch those around me and communicate His love.

What struck me most about Titagarh is the joy and hope found in that place. I love that these lepers who were once outcasts and invisible in the eyes of others, now live in a thriving community where they are loved and accepted.