Introduction

My name is Janine Myint and I'm an incoming senior majoring in both Public Health and Integrative Biology.  For my practice experience, I will be working with the Bombay Leprosy Project in Mumbai, India.  Along with this internship, I am taking a class at St. Xavier's college and an online course (ISF W187) as part of the Berkeley Global Internship Program in Mumbai.  

The Bombay Leprosy Project is a non-profit organization with the goal of "A World Without Leprosy."  Currently, Leprosy affects approximately a quarter of a million people in the world, with the majority of the cases in India.  Leprosy is a disease that affects the nerves, resulting in disability and disfigurement.  In India, Leprosy is an extremely stigmatized, with many of the infected being dropped off in Leprosy colonies and isolated from the families and friends.  Leprosy is an extremely complicated disease which requires specialized diagnosis, treatment, and disability prevention/rehabilitation.  As a result, NGOs such as BLP work with the government to provide specialized care to those inflicted with the disease.

My project during the program is to create and administer a form that BLP will use to measure the effectiveness of their treatment and disability programs.  These answers will be entered into a database, and be used for impact measurement.