LONDON - Dame Darcey Bussell is championing a new campaign to help rid Mozambique of the world's oldest disease.
As the most celebrated ballerina of her era, Darcey knows the depths of freedom the human body can express through dance.
So when witnessing the debilitating effects leprosy has on the body while on a family holiday, she felt compelled to help stop the disease in its tracks.
This is entirely possible. Leprosy shouldn't be a 21st century disease as an effective antibiotic cure has been available since the 1980s. It only continues to blight lives through a lack of healthcare, awareness and age-old stigma.
Darcey's connection with those affected by leprosy began in 2017, at the height of her success as a judge on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
She said: "I was privileged to travel to Mozambique with my family and wanted to show my two teenage daughters The Leprosy Mission's work. I had heard about it from a local vicar in London who had inspired me to meet people affected by leprosy and hear their stories.
"What I didn't expect was for this encounter to change me so much. The injustice experienced by so many people with leprosy has weighed heavy on my heart since."
As a result, Darcey is championing The Leprosy Mission’s new Unconditional Appeal. She has created a film taking the viewer deep into Mozambique. The Unconditional Appeal will help to rid the country of leprosy by shining a light on the disease, improving access to treatment and changing attitudes. It has been awarded UK Aid Match funding meaning every pound given before 24 April 2021 will be doubled by the UK government.
UK Aid Match brings charities, the British public and the UK government together to change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The Unconditional Appeal sees the UK public partnering with communities of Leprosy Changemakers in Mozambique to make leprosy a disease of the past. These include health workers, traditional healers, religious leaders, public speakers and volunteers. The Unconditional Appeal will train and equip the Leprosy Changemakers to set this life-changing work in motion.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister Wendy Morton said: “For too long this neglected but debilitating disease has been overlooked. Leprosy should not continue to blight lives in the 21st Century. We are doubling the public’s generous donations to The Leprosy Mission’s new appeal to help overturn centuries of prejudice and help rid Mozambique of this ancient disease.”
Mozambique is a tough country in which to live. It’s the seventh most deprived country in the world. Extreme climate conditions, including flooding and drought, hinder its progress. Almost a third of the population is malnourished and literacy levels are low.
Leprosy hides in remote villages like Zaina's in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique’s troubled northern province. There are no doctors in Namatua and medical care is scarce. Without prompt treatment leprosy can disable and even lead to blindness.
Zaina was a young mum when she first noticed discoloured patches on her skin. She didn’t know what they were, but when they became visible to other people in Namatua, they recognised the signs of leprosy. Because of age-old myths surrounding disease, some of the villagers banished her to the forest, chanting “go to the bush” over and over.
Together with her young son, Zaina was forced to live in the forest. If that wasn’t hard enough, a group of villagers came to take her little boy away. Zaina was heartbroken. Hungry and without medicine, her body became increasingly weak.
By the grace of God a stranger found Zaina in the forest. He built her a hut to shelter from the rain and took her to a health post where her leprosy was cured. Volunteers trained by The Leprosy Mission were able to go to Namatua and teach the villagers about leprosy.
Zaina is now a thriving member of her community. Determined others shouldn't have to suffer a similar fate, she trained as a Leprosy Changemaker. This means she is able to recognise the early signs of leprosy and makes sure a person knows how to get the cure. She has made it her mission to walk with and encourage others affected by the disease.
The Leprosy Mission's Unconditional Appeal draws on the unconditional love Zaina received. It was this very love that inspired her to change the lives of others.
Darcey explains: “It takes more than improved access to healthcare to end leprosy in countries like Mozambique. It takes a real sea change of attitudes, a desire within a community to end centuries of discrimination.
“This is exactly what The Unconditional Appeal seeks to do by training up Leprosy Changemakers to lead the fight against the disease.
“The Leprosy Mission could send someone from their base in the provincial capital of Pemba to run clinics to diagnose and cure leprosy. This would have some success. But it takes a real ground swell to end a disease like this so entrenched in stigma.”
It is not just those personally affected by leprosy that are being trained as Leprosy Changemakers. Government health supervisors, religious leaders and traditional healers are also joining the fight.
Church leaders and Imams have deep and trusted relationships with the communities they serve. As well as appearing in the Bible, the story of Jesus healing a man with leprosy features in the Quran. There is no better message to share than Jesus welcoming this man back to the fold. In doing so he is challenging an ancient myth that a person with leprosy is somehow cursed.
Traditional healers also have incredible power to influence their communities. For every medical doctor in Mozambique there are 50 traditional healers. In rural villages like Namatua, this is the first port of call for someone needing medical care. Leprosy Mission teams all too often hear of someone with leprosy being prescribed a herbal bath as a cure. When this doesn’t work, people then consider medical help, but it’s not easy to find. As a result, valuable time is wasted before receiving the cure for leprosy, leaving the person at risk of avoidable disability.
But with traditional healers becoming Leprosy Changemakers, they too can refer suspected cases of leprosy to a government health supervisor. Government staff are being trained at a high level to diagnose leprosy and give the cure so that a person can be treated at the earliest opportunity.
Darcey said: "By partnering with communities on the ground and shining a light on leprosy, we can make a desire to end this cruel disease a reality. Our support for people affected by leprosy is unconditional."
Darcey’s virtual journey sees her follow Zaina and the people of Namatua in Mozambique. Prior to 24 January this can be viewed at https://youtu.be/uej5VeqxxWA
