Nepal Leprosy Trust is pleased to report that the Project Agreement covering the next 5 years’ work in Nepal has been signed by the Government of Nepal this month. It has taken more than 18 months to prepare and negotiate this agreement and we thank all those of you who have been thinking about and supporting this process.

The work achieved in the last 5 years has been very significant:

• We have continued to employ people affected by poverty and disability in our sheltered workshops making handicraft products for sale and export.
• We have provided medical treatment to well over 200,000 people who have visited Lalgadh for help. This treatment is provided free of charge to the 30,000 or so, amongst this number, who are affected by leprosy.
• We have established many more new Self Help Groups in the communities around us.
• We have diagnosed about 5400 new cases of leprosy.
• We have provided surgical operations to several hundred patients.
• We have helped hundreds of people affected by leprosy, poverty, or other marginalizing conditions to start their own businesses, receive vocational training, and support of other kinds – including major house repairs.
• We have established our Village Alive Project which is now working with four extremely poor and under-developed communities to bring improvements in health, in education, and in general village conditions.
• We have continued to provide educational support for about 80 children from very poor situations.

All these things have only been possible with your support. NLT thanks all those people and organizations who support different aspects of its work and are therefore a part of the work. We greatly look forward to the next 5 years and trust that you will continue to share them with us.

Warm regards and best wishes for a wonderful Christmas from all at Nepal Leprosy Trust