Recommendation by the German Embassy

Letter of Recommendation

Mrs Marianne Grosspietsch, born in Kiel, Germany on 6 March 1944 has since 1989 been devoting her life to the fight against leprosy and to caring for those in need in Nepal. In 1992, she founded the nursing facility Shanti Sewa Griha in Pashupatinath, Kathmandu with financial assistance of the Lions Club in Dortmund, Germany.

Shanti Sewa Griha is now an independent organization in accordance with Nepalese law which is financially supported by the German Shanti Leprahilfe Dortmund e.V., this also being responsible for the organization. Shanti not only cares for those suffering from leprosy or who are disabled as a result of contracting this disease, it also provides assistance for others in need in one of the world's poorest countries. A total of approximately 800 people have found refuge in the two building complexes in Pashupatinath and Buddhanilkanta.

The building which has only recently been opened in Pashupatinath in the Kathmandu city area is home to a clinic, among others. Here, persons in serious need of nursing and the mentally disabled and helpless elderly people who require in-patient treatment receive medical care in addition to the approx. 100 people in need who receive out-patient treatment here every day.

Cured leprosy patients who have mutilated limbs and who have been cast out by their families find a new, humane home under the same roof. The building also houses the clinic workshops (tailor's shop, sewing shop, silversmith's forge, paper and material printing shop). With their work, the former leprosy patients who have been living on the edge of society can not only create a new sense of self-esteem, they can also contribute to the maintaining of the social facilities, thereby providing a certain extent of self-financing. The objects which are designed with great imagination and produced by the disabled persons with impressive skill are also sold in Germany through the Shanti Leprahilfe Dortmund e.V., this taps an additional important source of finance in addition to pure donations. Shanti Sewa Griha runs a school and kindergarten for the children of current and former patients.

On the second site in the rural area of Buddhanilkanta, just a few kilometres to the north of Kathmandu, the organization has a second clinic which Mrs Grosspietsch has opened with financial support from the German Embassy. Around 100 additional people requiring nursing are cared for here. The school there is open for children from poorer families from the surrounding areas. They should not only receive a modern education for the development of their creativity, but a balanced diet also. With this, Mrs Grosspietsch will avoid underdevelopments resulting from low or poor nutrition (malnutrition). An agricultural production on own land is currently being developed with the objective of increasing both the level of self-sufficiency and the proportion of own financing by selling the products which exceed their own requirements.

With her work, Mrs Grosspietsch makes a valuable contribution to the provision of free medical care for thousands of impoverished Nepalese. For numerous seriously ill persons who would not normally be able to afford medical treatment, she is often the final hope in a situation which would otherwise be without hope. She devotes herself to her work selflessly and tirelessly; she adopts an hands-on approach everywhere. She faces the considerable personal health risk which she takes when caring for the patients requiring permanent nursing with calmness. What is also especially worth mentioning is her success with the social integration of those who used to suffer from leprosy. Many of the people crippled by leprosy have found socially meaningful employment in the Shanta Sewa Griha workshops, in addition to them also developing a craftsmanship. Many of them have succeeded in regaining a certain amount of human respect in Nepalese society and have often started a family.

This extensive social integration is a main aspect of Mrs Grosspietsch´ work. In this way, she tries to give all of the cured leprosy sufferers the feeling of being a useful member of society who are able to earn their own living so that they do not have to rely on charity.

The German embassy in Kathmandu provides this private initiative with the greatest support possible within the scope of its possibilities and believe that the work from Mrs Grosspietsch is exceptionally worth supporting.

Rüdiger Lemp