Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre

WHO WE ARE
Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre (MAHELERECEN) is a registered non-profit society in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. We were founded on 9 August 1991 by Dr. S. Maria Xavier Turtius, who has worked with leprosy patients since 1966. For 35 years our small team has served people affected by leprosy in the slums and villages of Madurai and Dindigul districts. Today, 595 patients are under our care.

THE PROBLEM
Leprosy is curable, but it is not gone. In 2025-26, India reported 91,783 new leprosy cases, more than half of all new cases in the world. 1,945 of these people already had permanent disability when they were diagnosed.
Leprosy damages nerves, so people lose feeling in their hands, feet and eyes. Painless wounds turn into ulcers, fingers and toes are lost, and eyesight can fail. Fear of these deformities still causes deep stigma. Many people affected by leprosy lose their work, are left alone by their families, or are forced to beg, even years after they are cured.

WHAT WE DO
1. Early detection: skin check-ups in schools, surveys in slums and villages, and home visits. Treating leprosy early prevents disability.
2. Free treatment: medicines, physiotherapy, ulcer dressing, protective footwear, and training in daily self-care for hands and feet.
3. Mobile medical camps: every month our team holds free camps at our clinic in Chellaiah Nagar, in Kodas Nagar, and in villages across the Thiruparankundram, Alagarkovil, Sholavandan and Alanganallur blocks of Madurai district. About 200 to 250 people disabled by leprosy receive care through these camps each month.
4. Hospital referrals: we arrange cataract surgery, ulcer care and reconstructive surgery through Aravind Eye Hospital, Velammal Medical College Hospital and The Leprosy Mission Hospital, Manamadurai.
5. Livelihoods: small grants help people who are cured but disabled to start a business, such as raising a cow or goats, or running a tea stall, flower stall or small shop, so they can earn with dignity instead of begging.
6. Awareness: health talks on leprosy, TB, HIV/AIDS, hygiene and safe water for schoolchildren, factory workers and the public. People who have recovered from leprosy are trained to spread awareness in their own communities.
7. Food support: monthly grocery kits for the poorest families affected by leprosy.

OUR IMPACT
- More than 1,000 people cured of leprosy since 1991
- 595 patients currently under our care
- About 200 to 250 people with leprosy-related disabilities reached every month
- Dozens of disabled patients helped to start their own small businesses
- Free cataract surgeries, protective footwear and wound care for people who could not otherwise afford them

A REAL STORY
Karupayee was cured of leprosy in 2007, but the disease had already left her fingers and toes badly damaged. During the COVID-19 lockdowns she was cut off from all support. When our coordinator finally reached her in August 2021, she was living alone in a tiny dark shed, nearly blind from cataracts and close to starving. Our team arranged free cataract surgery for her, and her eyesight has greatly improved. Her story was reported by Global Health NOW, published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in May 2022.

HOW YOUR DONATION HELPS
Rs 1,500 (about USD 17) gives one family affected by leprosy a grocery kit for a whole month. Our entire yearly budget is small, so every gift makes a real difference to the people we serve.

TRANSPARENCY
- Registered society, Registration No. 184 of 1991, Madurai
- Registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), Registration No. 075940074
- Registered office: 12/10, Sister Rose Second Street, Melaponnagaram, Madurai 625016, Tamil Nadu, India
- Email: info@mahelerecen.org.in

PLEASE JOIN US
Leprosy can be cured, but the disability, hunger and loneliness it leaves behind need people who keep showing up. A monthly gift of about USD 17 keeps one family fed. If your company matches donations, your gift can go twice as far.