A special thanks on World Gratitude Day

World Gratitude Day is celebrated on September 21st.

Ryder Cheshire New Zealand is thankful for the small group of volunteers and supporters with a passion for helping those less advantaged in our centres in India and Timor Leste.

 The generosity of New Zealanders has been crucial in helping eradicate TB in Timor Leste. Over there Klibur Domin is working with the government to test the population for TB and to care for those with chronic drug-resistant tuberculosis.

 In India, Raphael has been able to deliver services in remote mountainous villages to children with disabilities and their families. These families have rarely if ever received help before.

 These are just some of the advances our centres have been able to achieve thanks local support.

Raphael turns 65

Raphael, the Ryder-Cheshire centre in Northern India has turned 65.

Established in April 1959 by Group Captain Lord Leonard Cheshire and Lady Sue Ryder, its mission was to relieve suffering.

Raphael started as tents to house people cured of leprosy. Now, while the centre continues to care for a handful of people cured of leprosy, their focus is on disability and health.

Services provided include residential care for children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, early intervention, school readiness and day care services, vocational training, mobile outreach programmes covering the state of Uttarakhand, and a teacher training centre.

Order of Merit for Klibur Domin

Joaquim Soares with the Medal of Order received from President Jose Ramos Horta (left).

On Friday May 19th, Klibur Domin received the Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste from the President of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos Horta. The medal recognised Klibur Domin’s contribution to Timor-Leste and the Timorese people.

Klibur Domin's Managing Director Joaquim Soares accepted the award on behalf of his staff.

The Medal of Order of Timor-Leste is the highest honour bestowed by the government of Timor-Leste. It is awarded to individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions to the country. For Klibur Domin, the award recognised their effort to control TB and for their services to relieve suffering.

Klibur Domin is a Ryder-Cheshire centre providing health care and support services to people in Timor-Leste.

Yes. We can End TB!

World Tuberculosis Day 2023 is on March 24th. The theme is 'Yes! We can end TB!'.

In 2021, 1.6 million people died from TB. A further 10.6 million fell ill with it.

TB begins with a mild fever and malaise, followed by a painful cough and shortness of breath. It usually affects the lungs.

The infection prospers in crowded conditions. Containing an outbreak requires contact tracing, isolation of the infected, and it can take weeks, or even months, of medical treatment to cure.

TB is present in all countries and age groups. In most cases, it’s treatable and curable. However, people with TB can die if they do not get proper medical attention.

Both the centres we support - Raphael in Northern India and Klibur Domin in Timor-Leste - screen for and treat TB patients.

Klibur Domin continues to be one of the leading organisations in Timor-Leste in the fight against Tuberculosis. In 2022, Klibur Domin staff identified 947 TB cases and provided them with TB treatment.

The majority of the TB cases (70%) were detected through active case finding. 

The Klibur Domin TB programme is funded by Global Fund and the Korean government through its agency KOICA in Timor-Leste. The KDTB team is expecting more TB cases will be detected in 2023 which will contribute to the efforts of ending TB in Timor-Leste.

New Administrative Officer at Raphael

Raphael welcomes Pasha Biswas, retired Colonel of the Fourth Battalion Parachute Regiment, as its new Administrative Officer. He is responsible for logistics, maintenance and staff welfare.

Colonel Biswas grew up in Shillong in the state of Meghalaya in the north-east India. When the family moved to Dehra Dun, Pasha joined the National Defence Academy as a cadet.

Colonel Biswas took early retirement from the army. He worked for the Nirmal Ashram Eye Institute where he established a 200-bed eye hospital in Rishikesh. He then managed several sugar mills. Later he was appointed Registrar of the College of Engineering, Roorkee. 

Colonel Biswas learned of Raphael through a chance meeting with Raphael’s previous Administrative Officer Colonel Hansen at the Defence Service Officers Institute of Dehradun.

“I spotted Colonel Hansen whom I knew as he had been in the Fifth Battalion parachute regiment. After he had learned what I had been up to since leaving the army he looked me in the eye and said ‘I think I know where you should be next’. I had been shoulder tapped.”

Colonel Biswas lives on site at Raphael with his wife Indrani and their son. Their daughter lives in the United States.

When asked about his time so far at Raphael, Colonel Biswas says it is the compassion he sees and the sense of service. “What I have learned most since arriving at Raphael is the beauty of so many of our residents. Let’s surrender to that”.

An advocate for people with disabilities

Queen Elizabeth and Leonard Cheshire at the opening of a home for people with disabilities in 1987.

The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation in New Zealand mourn with the world the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth was good friends with our co-founder Leonard Cheshire and supported his endeavours throughout the world.

Leonard Cheshire was one of the RAF’s most highly decorated pilots, whose service in World War II earned him the Victoria Cross.

After the war, Leonard set up several charities including Leonard Cheshire, a charity that helps disabled people to live independent lives.

From 1969 the Queen donated funds to Leonard’s UK charity yearly and assisted in raising funds. She became patron in 1980 and during her reign she visited Leonard Cheshire projects throughout the Commonwealth.

Following his death in 1992, the Queen made a point of mentioning Leonard in her Christmas message. She said: “This shining example of what a human being can achieve in a lifetime of dedication can inspire in the rest of us a belief in our own capacity to help others.”

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was an inspirational, caring, and dedicated leader and she will be greatly missed.

Atauro Island progress to be recognised on World TB Day

Distributing information on tuberculosis to Atauro Island residents.

Klibur Domin is planning to celebrate recent efforts to combat TB during the 2022 World TB Day.

Klibur Domin staff have been working with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health on Atauro Island since 2020. They hope to eradicate TB on the small island north of Dili within two years. World TB Day on March 24 will be a celebration of recent milestones.

To date this year the team have:

Atauro Island

• Screened nearly 2,150 people for TB symptoms

• Referred 1,950 people for a chest X-ray

• Identified 440 people with lung abnormalities

• Confirmed 106 cases of TB and started them on TB treatment

The goal of World TB Day is to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

Klibur Domin is at the forefront of the TB battle. Timor-Leste has one of the highest mortality rates of tuberculosis. Klibur Domin offers inpatient treatment, a mobile unit reaching villages and accommodation for the multi drug resistant.

WHO stats for 2022 World TB Day