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hmad Zainudin only knew the word *stigma' was real for people like him when his friends did not want to be in the same room, his family separated his towels, spoons, glasses and plates, and his school principal told him to take indefinite leave.

"When I entered the teacher's room, they all left and when I left they all came back in together. That was going on for days until my headmaster came to me and asked me to stay at home giving my affliction as the reason," says resident of Ngablak, Lamongan.

Nearly four years ago, Zainudin felt his foot was numb and could not feel a thing. First he ignored it until there was a wound. "I went to see a doctor in a hospital who told me I had diabetes. I was prescribed with diabetic pills. I later realized the high blood sugar was caused by a bowl of rice I ate before having the blood test," he says.

The wound remained and got worse because Zainudin still could not feel anything so he could step on stones or even hot bricks without feeling anything. One day he played volleyball, wearing his white sport shoes. "When I got home, one of the shoes had turned red with my blood."

He checked with other doctors and found out he had leprosy. "I was hospitalized and my colleagues visited me at the hospital. They must have thought I was being treated for diabetes."

A graduate of Jombang's Darul Ulum University, Zainudin was a bright teacher and activist in Muslim organizations. He taught at four elementary schools and two junior high schools before he started being treated with leprosy. When he was discharged from the hospital and recovering, he began to taste the bitter pill of discrimination: The schools refused his return and his old colleagues ceased to be his friends.

Leprosy is endemic in East Java's northern coastal areas and Madura Island which contributes up to 30 percent of the total cases in the country. Indonesia currently ranks third after Brazil and India with 17,243 new cases so far this year.

Late detection of this skin disease caused by bacillus Mycobacterium Leprae, leads to socio-economic impacts because patients may then often suffer deformity or even blindness. The East Java Health Agency reported that between1994-2008, the province recorded 78,396 patients as cured, but along with 7,641 permanently disabled.

Zainudin's life took a dramatic twist when he met a doctor, Diana Liben, a consultant from the Netherlands Leprosy Relief (NLR) organization, who has been working with leprosy patients for years. He was then motivated to open up and share his life story with fellow ex-leprosy patients. From then on, he regained his *normal life' back; teaching at an elementary school and becoming active in social organizations. In 2007 he co-founded the Association for Ex-Leprosy Patients (Permata).

"We want to help leprosy-affected people to rebuild their confidence and learn skills so they can fit back into society, otherwise we will not be able to break the cycle of stigma and discrimination," Zainudin says.

But Zainudin's story is exceptional. In a village, located nearby Sumber Glagah Leprosy Hospital in Mojokerto, 184 ex-leprosy patients - and their families - still find that doors are closed for them.

"I have to beg on the streets and in other kampongs because I don't have a skill and no company want to employ me. But the saddest thing is many young people from this village are rejected at the factories in their neighboring villages simply because they are from this leprosy village," says 52-year-old Abdul Hayi who lost his fingers because of leprosy.

Another resident, Sugito, intervened pointedly in a meeting with World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa last week in the village's meeting hall. "Please give us training so we can get proper jobs. I don't want to hear people label us as a village of beggars. We've been visited by many people and many groups, but we got nothing in return," he said.

Sasakawa was understanding and said he didn't mind this unexpected outburst since he could appreciate the frustration and anger of ex-leprosy patients.

"It's their way to get attention from all of us. Leprosy elimination doesn't only concern the medical sector, it involves everybody too," he said.

"Eliminating leprosy is not enough, even with zero cases, but our task is to help in re-establishing the rights of leprosy patients and in getting rid of stigma and discrimination."