Peter Waddup, CEO - The Leprosy Mission Great Britain

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This week I am in Orissa and have been meeting the residents in leprosy colonies across the state.

Even after 16 years of talking with people affected by leprosy, I am still learning. I still find myself sad and upset by the stories they share. The choices we take for granted are stolen from people affected by leprosy the moment they are diagnosed.

Whole colonies here are full of people whose profession is begging because they cant find a suitable job because of their disabilities. Many are elderly and severely disabled, some as old as 80, and still working a 7 day week on the streets to ensure they have enough food to eat.

I have learnt this week that begging is a job in the same way as we all have regular work. There’s an art to begging in India, finding the right locations for each part of the day,ensuring that they will be seen at stations during the morning commute, and near the shopping centres later on when they become crowded with excited shoppers.

Yesterday at one leprosy colony I learnt that the day begins at 6am with a 6km walk to town, on empty stomachs and in most cases with severe disabilities.

They have to ensure that they arrive early enough to get the prime spot for the first part of the day.

The working day is 7 hours and the early start is made to avoid the burning sun, reaching temperatures of 40 degrees at this time of the year.

How many of us can say that being successful in our profession is a matter of life and death? Typically each person earns around 100 rupees, or £1, just enough to provide them with one meal a day.

Please please, the next time you pass a beggar on the street in India, see them as I have seen them this week, beautiful people with rich character and personalities, working as hard as anyone of us. Take some time out of your day to hear their story and if you are touched by what you hear, help them. You then just might have intervened and made a life or death decision.