Hansen’s disease is a tragic disorder which in developing countries typically in young
people causing not only physical deformity but also psychological suffering due to the
social stigma associated with this condition Those afflicted were expelled from even
their own families as well as society. Therefore they had to beg for food, even though
they were physically 51 to work.
In 1947, a nation-wide survey of 2,009 Leprosy vagabonds in Korea showed that
about 95% could work if the right opportunity was provide. Another survey of 1,746
leprosy patients in 1958 revealed that 80% of the patients had developed the disease
before the age of 25. This statistic helped me realize those, in tack most leprosy
patients were relatively strong working-age people who were capable of earning their
own money and living in a self-sufficient manner with dignity and self-respect Be-
cause so many of these individuals had suffered great damage to their senses of pride
and self worth I Knew that some spiritual-psychological rehabilitation must precede any
successful physical and socioeconomic rehabilitation.
Therefore we worked hard to motivate and empower these individuals by giving them
responsibility and a voice in the development of our leprosy project Instead of humbling
them with charity, we constructed opportunities for material success and the good
feelings associated with genuine personal accomplishments Using the best technology,
former vagabonds became competitive business people, and today their above-range
living standard stands as a testimony to the effectiveness of this approach to
socio-economic rehabilitation. Along with material prosperity and self-confidence come a
reduction in the social stigma associated with this disorder.
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