The world of Tzu Chi February 2020 (Vol.119)

13 various operational functions and were paid a monthly stipend for their labour. The Patients’ Council was established in 1946 to defend the patients’ welfare. Marriages between patients were allowed in the settlement and married couples were each assigned a wooden chalet of their own to live in. However, infants born to leprosy patients were segregated from their parents as a precautionary measure. The infants were cared for in the “Babies Home” for the first six months of their birth, following which the parents had to transfer the care of their infant to a relative or friend. If the parents were unable to find a relative willing to keep their child, the child would be offered for adoption. The settlement is now frequented by visitors who take an interest in its historical significance and the personal accounts of former patients who call the settlement home, as showcased through its story gallery. Sources: World Health Organization (WHO), Global Leprosy Strategy 2016–2020 ; Tan Ean Nee & Joshua Wong, The Way Home ; Care & Share Circle, The Valley of Hope Pictorial History Book ; Echoes from the Valley of Hope website The wooden chalets in 2019 [Photograph by Lee Kwee Yap]