Hatibari Health Home
Leprosy has always been viewed with hatred and repulsion by the society as a whole. Persons affected with the Hansen’s disease are viewed as cursed souls punished for their misdeeds. Efforts have been made to bring the affected persons to the social mainstream. One such attempt was made by Padmashree Dr. Isaac Santra an eminent Gandhian social worker. Heestablished an Ashram for the persons affected by Hansen’s disease; leprosy; at Hatibari in the year 1951. The centre was named after the village; Hatibari Kusthashram which later came to be known as ‘Hatibari Health Home. After the demise of the great soul Dr. Santra in August 1968, the management of the Home came under the control of Hind Kustha Nibarini Sangha (HKNS), a national organisation working for identification, treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy cured persons having His Highness the President of India as its national Chairperson and His Excellency the Governor of Orissa as its Chairpersons for Orissa state.The Sambalpur chapter is chaired by the Collector & District Magistrate, Sambalpur with the District Social Welfare Officer as the Secretary cum Treasurer and the Chief District Medical Officer as members along with other eminent social workers. The Home provides an opportunity to the leprosy affected as well as cured persons to lead a normal life with self-respect, dignity and without a feeling of being socially excluded. The infrastructure available at the Home, viz. the cultivable land, the industrial sheds (for black smithy/ rope making/ tailoring/ handloom weaving), the Pisciculture ponds and the orchards provided them to work with confidence and an opportunity to lead a respectable and dignified life. However after the departure of the great soul, the maintenance of the infrastructure went down gradually with a deepening of morale, self confidence among the inmates. The situation was viewed seriously and discussed several time in a series of meetings of the management. Subsequently DHKNS advised BISWA to take over the productive idolization of the infrastructure available at the Home.
|
Candle Making Unit :
 This unit is working at Hatibari Health Home aiming at economic rehabilitation of the leprosy cured persons. Since 2002 (the year that BISWA took over the income generation unit of the Home) the unit has trained 33 persons in the trade. It produces fancy as well as utility candles to cater the local market. |
Weaving Unit :
 Functioning at Hatibari Health Home, it provides training as well as employment opportunity as a rehabilitation measure to the dependents of original inmates. With a minimum input the inmates are able to produce clothing for the households e.g. lungi, gamchha and sarees at a very reasonably economic price. |
Sisal Fiber Unit :
 At Hatibari Health Home BISWA has established one Training cum production unit on Sisal Fiber. Fiber is extracted from the Sisal by extractor and then many utility and decorative items are prodiced ouit of the fiber. The produce have a high demand in local as well as national markets. |