Deputy Mayor Visits Leprosy Affected In China

Palmerston North Deputy Mayor John Hornblow recently journeyed to China to see first hand the plight of people living with the effects of leprosy in one of the worlds' emerging superpowers. HANDA, a local partner of The Leprosy Mission New Zealand, facilitated the visit to reveal the true face of leprosy in the world today.

Not too far from the monolithic skyscrapers of Hong Kong or the dazzling casinos of Macau, the quality of life is far different than the comfortable existence one would expect living in those two cities of wealth and affluence. Palmerston North Deputy Mayor John Hornblow discovered just how large this disparity in living conditions really is during his recent visit to China.

During his three-day tour of leprosy settlements in China's Guandong province, Mr. Hornblow discovered the distressing truth regarding those who once had leprosy within China. Prior to the availability of a leprosy cure in the 1980s, those found to have leprosy were expelled to remote villages to live in isolation without any assistance from the outside world.

Today, approximately 60,000 of these people live on in these settlements, now aged typically between 50 and 80 years old. With a leprosy cure now widely available, they no longer have leprosy. However, they live on with significant physical deformities, a poignant reminder of the disease that had a profound impact on their lives. Mr. Hornblow recounted this through his experiences when he said that "All wanted to shake hands...Chinese style means this can go on for quite a while. Shaking many stumped hands is interesting!"

The Leprosy Mission works with their local partner HANDA in restoring these peoples' lives to them through Micro-enterprise Development to help them earn a proper living. There has been the establishment of a factory where quilts and sewing articles are produced, as well as a factory that fabricates prosthetic limbs for people who have had significant physical disabilities.

Mr. Hornblow summed it by saying "I now feel a world away from those who suffer the effects of leprosy. I spent the last three days with these folk, one day in the village and the rest at the factory and rehab unit. The folk I was with are in a village outside Guangzhou but the memory is really etched in the mind."

In 1986, John Hornblow founded Team Consultants Ltd, now known as Nexus Partners Ltd., a company that works nationally with businesses, Government Departments and councils to enhance their performance. John holds qualifications in both education and business.

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