My Volunteer Work/Nepal Earthquake

The devastating earthquake in Nepal has badly affected the Anandaban Hospital where the Leprosy Mission, which I volunteer for as an Ambassador supports.

We have launched an appeal at: http://leprosymission.org.nz/

any donations would of course be most welcome to this 101 year old totally ethical charity-we are sending a field worker to Nepal tomorrow to further assess the need.

Below is a newspaper article which gives some background to my work;

" Leprosy Mission New Zealand Appoints Ambassador to Ethnic Communities "

Michael Joseph Sheppard, has recently joined the Leprosy Mission New Zealand as the Ambassador to Ethnic Communities. Michael will be building relationships with individuals and groups from various ethnic communities who are interested in directly supporting the Mission’s vital work in some of the world’s poorest communities. Leprosy still exists, affecting millions of people every year.

The Mission is committed to eradicating both the causes and consequences of the disease and has life-changing projects in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, China, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea. Here in New Zealand the Leprosy Mission fundraises for these vital projects and raises awareness about leprosy.

The Mission’s projects focus on: detection, diagnosis and treatment; health and disability care; community development to combat poverty; and advocacy and education to fight leprosy-related stigma and discrimination. Michael has already recruited a team of dedicated volunteers from the Chinese community who exhibited at the Chinese New Year festival, and has met with various high-level community leaders.

And me with the Nepali Ambassador at a fundraiser