Greta Georges's - 28th Birthday Leprosy Colony Fund Rasier
Pimp their ride ! because they need a hot set of van wheels to carry oil and provisions
Host: Greta Georges
Type: Causes - Fundraiser
Network: Global
Start Time: Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:30pm
End Time: Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 3:00am
Location: " Going Om"
Street: 63 haji lane
Email: gretageorges@gmail.com
Last year, I had the chance to travel to Xiang Hai An village, located 72 kilometres from Kunming, China to shoot a documentary. Located on top of a steep mountain hill, when I say steep, it means steep with no proper roads, dirt path which is secluded and hidden from the outside world. As intended, I suppose. They don’t receive much help and pretty much live a day to day existence coping with the pain that comes rather often at their advanced stage of the disease.
The small village is surrounded by mud-block walls and was originally built in 1926 as a monastery for nuns. In the early 1950s, the local government took over the area and converted it into a community for leprosy patients and renamed it Xiang Hai An Leprosy Mission. From what I have observed, the living standards there are very low. Abject poverty together with the cold weather is their frequent companion and life can get rather miserable. But they just get on with it. Well, actually that is the under-statement; they pretty much defined the catch phrase, “Just get on with it.”
I had to opportunity to interview the humble village physician, 52-year-old Li Fen, who was first affected by leprosy when she was 17. She touched my heart with an amazing capacity to love and care for the caste of “untouchables”. According to Habitat for Humanity’s Windy Xie’s report - It was then that she decided to learn more about the treatment and made it her lifelong commitment to help those afflicted with leprosy. Although she has never attended medical school, she received training from doctors and at a leprosy centre after she recovered from the disease. At that time there were 130 patients living in the centre. "For all of us who have leprosy, we have suffered too much from the stigma. It is a very personal ordeal we all undergo, one of loneliness and shame that we carry with us all our lives. It was because of the extreme hardships of the patients that I felt I had to devote my life to make it easier for them. “
But life is not easy for them as they don’t even own a proper van to carry provisions and oil from the town back to the village. But Dr Li’s husband struggle to do just that with his old motorbike and bearing in mind the roads are hazardous and travelling on a steep hill is not an easy manoeuvre at all. In fact, when I carried 13 kg of pork in my backpack and hiked up a short distance to reach them, I slipped and fell squarely on my behind. (That is when I thanked the lord for my derrière.) So a need for a set of wheels which is sturdy is not frivolous at all, and this, I had witnessed firsthand the need; Dr Li even told me if there was anything they needed it was a simple small “bread van” to help their situation.
That is why I am organising a Fund-Raiser now and inviting you to be a part of this very special occasion. Yes, it will make a difference to them and it will improve their lives. Not drastically but at least a lot better than their current transportation circumstances that they are facing. I ask you to be generous and to give of your time and money to this cause if you have the resources as a friend on April the 24th and come celebrate at a wonderful sanctuary, Going Om at Haji Lane :) Budge Budge, Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink. Much Love, Greta.xoxoxox
PROGRAMME
1930 Guests Arrival
2000 Jam Session (bring your own instruments!)
2030 Sharing Session / Documentary Screening
2115 Vocal Performance
2200 Live DJ Sets / Fire Spinning Performance
0300 End of event
Contributors:
Barry Tan & Oliver Pang
Emilie-Ann Oehlers & Bhasker
Bronzee Nanthakumar & Dominic Tan
Patricia Goh
Russell Bennett
Vincent Tay
Pushin’ On Crew
The Movement Thursday Crew
*Background Information and quotation from Dr. Li by Windy Xie’s form Habitat for Humanity.
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