[Completed] – Request for Donations for Distribution of Meat in Patients of Leprosy Hospital Rawalpindi

Update (01-08-20): Alhumdulillah, the meat has been received by the hospital for the distribution among patients. JazakAllah khair for your contributions.

Update (26-07-20): Alhumdulillah, the cow has been purchased. JazakAllah khair for your contributions.

Update (19-07-20): Alhumdulillah, Rs 70,000 have been collected and transferred to my cousin’s friend’s bank account. JazakAllah khair for your contributions.

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The following text was published on 19th July 2020:

The following message is from a friend of my cousin, who lives in Islamabad and has been supporting this project on yearly basis:

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Every year we arrange meat of a cow for leprosy patients currently admitted in Leprosy Hospital Rawalpindi on Eid ul Adha. There are usually 50 to 60 patients admitted there. We have established a connection with a barn near Lalazar, Rawalpindi where we book a cow in advance to save cost. The cost of the cow this year is Rs 70,000 (SAR 1,594).

History of the Hospital

Set up in 1904 by the British Leprosy Mission, the Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital is the oldest facility dedicated to the treatment of leprosy in Pakistan. Located in what is now a crowded part of the city, at the time of establishment, the hospital was a deserted place in the outskirts of the city. Lepers from all over British India used to come here for treatment and shelter.

Since 1968, the hospital has been run by the organization Aid to Leprosy Patients (ALP), which is working under the aegis of the German Leprosy Relief Association. There are currently 97 beds for leprosy patients. The facility also runs a tuberculosis control programme and provides services related to skin problems, blindness, psychotherapy and rehabilitation.

The hospital was the brainchild of an American professor, Dr R. R. Stewart, who used to teach at the local Gordon College of the US missionaries. Mr Stewart had come upon a group of lepers who lived in the outskirts of Rawalpindi in accordance with the British Lepers Act 1827, which required all lepers to be segregated from the community. Touched by their plight, Mr Stewart floated the idea of a leprosy hospital in the locality. The British Leprosy Mission decided to implement the proposal.

Location

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