Mutemwa Leprosy Centre survivors tell their life stories.
Leprosy is now a curable chronic disease. It is caused by a bacteria. People living with leprosy used to be treated as outcasts before the advent of medicine which cures leprosy was discovered in 1962. The medicine which cures leprosy is called Dapson.
Before the Discovery of Dapson Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre used to hold more than a thousand patients affected by leprosy. Life of families of people living with leprosy was made easy. People can now get cured of leprosy and go back and live with their families.
Although some families still carry stigma and discrimination to people who have been diagnosed of leprosy and got treated. They fear to intergrate them back into their families after being cured.
In 1969 to 1979 John Bradburne lived with people living with leprosy at Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre. John Bradburne was from United Kingdom. He left England and heeded to God’s calling of helping people living with leprosy at Mutemwa in a nearby mountain at Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre called Chigona.
In Chigona mountain that is where people living with leprosy used to stay before John Bradburne was moved by the way they were treated in their families and communities since they had to live far away from people as it was contagious.
John Bradburne came and lived at Chigona mountain were people with leprosy were living. He would source food, medication for people with leprosy from his friends like Dr Luisa Guidotti. John Bradburne could even wash their wounds with bare hands and water and bandage their wounds.
Mr Benson Charera
Mr Benson Charera a leprosy survivor from Kariba under chief Moyo narrated his story. He is a former Zimbabwe Republic Police constable. He worked as a constable in Masvingo. In 1990 he started to be ill and was diagnosed of leprosy.
In his family no one had ever had leprosy. He Lost his job and marriage due to leprosy. His wife ran away from him because he had leprosy. His family members took him to traditional healers believing he had been bewitched. They wasted resources and all he had to cure him. Only a doctor told the family that it was leprosy and it affected and traumatized the family.
He was told to come to Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre for cure and rehabilitation. Mr Charera said living in an institution for the rest of his life was really difficult for him. He had Lost his mother and father at their rural home in Kariba. No one was able to take care of him since he had been affected by leprosy.
Leprosy left him disabled. Only an institution was good for him to be taken care of. At Mutemwa Mr Benson Charera has a two roomed house, field to plough maize. He used to run a chicken project before COVID-19. He said he is in need of restarting the chicken project.
Mr Geza
Mr Geza born in 1973 who has one child and wife also narrated his story of living with leprosy. He was diagnosed of leprosy in 1998 at St Albert’s Hospital. He lived in pain day and night due to leprosy. He got his treatment at Mutemwa. He went at Harare Hospital to get his sewing course for those with disability.
He was given a sewing machine and fabrics and started to live at Mutemwa sewing and sustaining his life and family. He upgraded his sewing course at Ruwa Rehabilitation center in 2012. In 2013 he worked as a tailor for Mother of Peace a Catholic Children’s Home which is a neighbour to Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre. Mother of Peace later retrenched all tailors in 2015.
They’re were more than 20 tailors who were retrenched at Mother of Peace Children Home. He managed to erect a chicken fowl run but currently the chicken fowl run has no roof. He said he usually keeps 25 chickens which he sells to other people living with leprosy at Mutemwa.
Mrs Colleta Mafuta
Mrs Colleta Mafuta a Leprosy survivor was very happy to receive her donation of new curtains, a new blanket and other goodies from Mrs Elizabeth Matenga a volunteer who has sacrificed to help people living with leprosy. She was very happy to receive the donation on World leprosy day commemorations last Saturday.
She was born by both parents who were affected by leprosy at Mutemwa. She is the only child affected by leprosy in their family of seven Children born by a couple which had leprosy both mother and father. She has six children who have no leprosy gogo Colleta Mafuta.
Colleta Mafuta lives in two rooms houses. Most of the people living with leprosy live in two roomed houses which were constructed by the Former First Lady Sally Mugabe for people living with leprosy at Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre.
Mrs Mafuta two roomed house is leaking. Her fridge is no longer working she now uses it for storing her plates. Mrs Matenga gave her a bed spread on World leprosy day commemorations. Mrs Mafuta used to keep chickens for selling and could refridgerate some of the chickens. Her chicken project was affected by COVID-19. She also was crying for the market where to sell her chickens.
Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre has a mountain which all people from all walks of life can come for prayers and visit people living with leprosy. The prayer mountain has a pool which John Bradburne used to bath in and even bath wounds of people living with leprosy in.
People from different churches come at Chigona prayer mountain which is at Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre for healing,prayers and Deliverance. There are a lot of testimonies from people who visit the mountain and God meets their needs.
Mutemwa Leprosy Care Centre is a Roman Catholic Church place of prayer and pilgrimage. People across the world visit the place every year.
