MISUFINI LEPROSY CARE CENTRE

Misufini used to be a sisal village - built to house workers on a sisal estate before the industry collapsed. Then the Government took it over as a home for people suffering from Leprosy. Of course, their families went with them.

Leprosy is no longer the problem it was. It can be cured. However, it does still occur occasionally, and it does result in problems of rejection which means that sufferers and their families cannot always go back to their own villages. Misufini is a long way from anywhere along roads which are impassable in the wet season. Help was not always available and the village suffered from neglect.

Children rarely attended school. The 7km journey was not possible in the wet season. Other children were not always kind to them.
Now the youngest are being boarded in Muheza where they can attend kindergarten and get the foundation of a good education.
There was no water, no sanitation and no electricity. Until recently, various agencies helped in various ways, but there were gaps. In 2002 a committee was set up and some aspects of life, in particular the buildings, improved. There is new accommodation, a clinic and a house for a centre manager.
Some food is grown, but it is a constant battle against drought and disease. Here orange trees have been planted (in 2001)among a maize crop, but the latter is now suffering from drought.
In 2007 we sent money for three goats, to start a herd. Most of the orange trees survived and people were eating oranges! In April/May 2008 they had good rains and we sent money to help them grow maize and other crops.

Several years of drought have not helped the water situation. The village well was improved in 2003, but by 2006 was dry (because of a falling water table). That meant a long walk to fetch water. Now gutters have been added to some of the new housing, and with our help the underground tank to store water has been renovated. In October 2006 there was enough water, and the rains came early ...But in January 2008 there was again no water.