Description: Jesu Ashram provides free-of-charge medical treatment, care and social services to destitute, sick people and their families, especially those afflicted by tuberculosis (TB), HIV and AIDS and leprosy. Comprising a hospice and dwellings for disabled leprosy survivors, Jesu Ashram serves everyone without distinction of caste or creed. The only criterion is that beneficiaries are very poor and need help.

On average, 350 patients are treated annually in the hospital by a small but dedicated core team of 12 full-time nurses and three doctors who visit throughout the week. Invaluable assistance is rendered by men and women who become caregivers after being successfully treated at the Ashram.

The hospital has airy, clean and sunny rooms surrounded by verandahs. One room accommodates 20 to 30 patients, who each have their own bed and locker. Some patients, especially mothers, bring their children with them.

Patients are involved in the daily upkeep of the hospital. Since the Ashram is understaffed, anything patients can do is of great help. Those who are well enough tend to the grounds that are covered by hundreds of trees and small flower gardens. Others help to cook meals that meet the needs of a balanced diet with the right proteins, vegetables and starch. A staggering 100 kilos of rice are cooked for each meal in huge gleaming pots that sit on the fire alongside enormous kettles of boiling water used to sterilize needles.

Some patients recover but cannot return home because they fear rejection due to their severe deformity – the outcome of long untreated leprosy. So they are given a monthly allowance and are settled in nearby dwellings built by Jesu Ashram. When they can, they engage in some income generating activities.

Every Wednesday morning Jesu Ashram runs an outpatient leprosy clinic where thousand of patients have been treated over the years. This has helped many of them treat their infection early on and thus avoid the stigma that the deformities associated with leprosy often bring.

Motto/mandate: To serve the poor and inspire others to do the same. It is in this spirit that patients serve each other and local families sometimes provide food for the hospital. Those who cannot afford to give, help in other ways.

History/Background: Jesu Ashram was set up in 1971 by a Canadian Jesuit brother, Robert Mittelholtz, SJ. Br. Bob, who dedicated his life to caring for destitute and sick people, died on 20 December 2003. He is buried in the grounds of Jesu Ashram, where he remains among the people for who he cared throughout most of his life.

Many others have left the mark of devoted service on the Ashram and its patients. One such person is the late Sr. Ivana, who Br. Bob used to call the "backbone" of the institution. A Daughter of the Cross sister from Croatia, Sr Ivana worked in Jesu Ashram since its inception and aged 87, she would say: "I was called to do this. I have the greatest sympathy for sick, poor and helpless people and I try to help them as best I can. This is my biggest reward in life."