Behkadeh Raji
Behkadeh Raji (Persian بهکده راجی, DMG Behkade Rāǧī ) is the first leprosarium, which was built as economically self- CATERING, an independent village. It was built in 1961 on active operation of Farah Pahlavi in Iran and is the leprosy relief organization of Iran ( جمعیت کمک به جذامیان, DMG Ǧam ʿ iyat -e Komak be Ǧoẕāmiyān, often Jamiyat -e Komak be Jozamian ) directed. The aim of the village concept was not only to achieve optimal care of the lepers, but to change by the coexistence of sick and the healthy, the attitude of the population towards the leprosy patients and dealing with them.
Genesis
The Leprosy Relief Iran ( Jamiyat -e Komak be Jozamian ) was of Abdol -Hossein Raji ( 1902-1972 ) founded and directed for many years. It offered the victims and their family members to only medical assistance and social services and financial support. Farah Pahlavi took over shortly after her marriage to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as one of her first official duties at the request of the former Health Minister Abdol -Hossein Raji chair the leprosy relief organization in Iran. Farah Pahlavi had met as a student the suffering of lepers in Iran in a lecture at their school.
The situation of leprosy in Iran was desolate until the mid- '50s. The few leprosy stations in the country were mostly led by Christian priests and nuns. Many lepers were made the pilgrimage to Mashhad to the mosque of Imam Reza to pray for her recovery. The mosque was one of the most important pilgrimage centers and offered the patient the opportunity to secure their livelihood by begging. The management of Mashhad wanted to get rid of the sick, however, again. One built, 3 km from Mashhad away a sanatorium for lepers, the leprosarium Asayeshgah Mehrab Khans. In the leper colony 900 lepers were housed. Moreover lived 180 healthy children of leprosy mothers in the colony without any school supplies. The main building was indeed equipped with modern appliances, to faucets with light barriers, the supplies were still short of international standards.
After Farah Pahlavi had their support for the " Leprosy Relief Iran " promised all lepers of the country were captured and brought into the advanced leprosy station to Mashhad or, if that was not possible, in local hospitals for inpatient treatment as the first. As part of a scientific field study, the regional distribution of leprosy and the state of medical care was examined. It turned out that both the population and most of the doctors were not well informed about the disease.
The recommendation of the World Health Organization to treat the lepers in their local villages, in order to avoid social exclusion of patients was not feasible, as the villagers fear of contamination did not tolerate the patients in their communities. This led to the idea of setting up for the patients own village, which - as far as possible - should economically self-sufficient, to allow patients a self-determined life.
Design and operation
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi wrote about the Iranian Leprosy Relief from his privately owned lands ( 30,000 ha) in Gorgan, 450 km north-east of Tehran. There, the village of Deh Kadeh was built with over three hundred houses including hospital, primary school, library, movie theater, police station, a restaurant, a public bath, craft, agricultural facilities, gas station, auto repair shop, a knitting of stockings and socks as well as a carpet factory. Irrigating fields, orchards and vegetable gardens were created. As a basis for economic self-sufficiency each resident received three sheep. A sheep farmer gave courses in the sheep. The village community had a pasture area of 24 hectares.
The medical equipment for the hospital of Behkadeh Raji was funded by a grant from the German leper 's Fund. The medical care took over Iranian doctors. In addition, volunteer doctors from Pakistan, India, France and Switzerland to Deh Kadeh came to restore as far as possible with the help of plastic surgery that disfigured faces, hands and legs of the patient.
As agricultural production of the healed lepers from Behkadeh Raji exceeded their own use, the surplus such as potatoes or cotton were sold on the markets of the environment.
The village grew not only by the influx of patients. More and more healthy from the area worked in the facilities of the village for their own livelihood or they came to dinner at the village restaurant or to the movies. With the establishment of the village which was named Behkadeh Raji, had managed not only to improve the medical care of lepers but also the abolition of their social exclusion.
As part of the program for employee of the White Revolution, an Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1975 to exploit the products of Behkadeh Raji.
Behkadeh Raji today
The village was renamed after the Islamic Revolution in Behkadeh Razavi. Mariam Khodadadian reported on the state of the village in 2003:
" Behkadeh Raji, one of the most beautiful villages in Iran today is because such leave. The hospital of the village, which was considered as the best hospital in the region, is only every two days open for a few hours. The medical care of the lepers is carried out by a general practitioner. The knitting and carpet weaving, in which the women of the village had worked are closed. The cinema was first converted into a sports club, which was then also closed. The library of the village has no money for new acquisitions and is no longer visited. The police station was closed. The Bank of the village was closed because the economic activity of the village is largely come to a standstill. Most houses in the village had to be urgently put in order. The earlier commitment that the families of leprosy patients can stay indefinitely in the houses, has been revoked. The families who have previously lived in Behkadeh Raji had to notarize, that they have no rights to the houses. The key for the houses were confiscated. The residents complained that the lepers had to leave the houses, the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had built for her. Meanwhile, the lepers have lost their economic independence and meet again as a beggar. The shares of stock of the corporation of Behkadeh Raji were seized. The 30,000 ha of land belonging to the company, were also seized. Many lepers are again forced to beg because they generate no income anymore. "
Leprosy Relief Iran
In addition to founding and support of the Leprosiums Behkadeh that bore his name in honor of Abdol -Hossein Raji, the Leprosy Relief Iran supported ( Jamiyat -e Komak be Jozamian ) leprosy patients and their family members across the country. The medical assistance included direct medical treatment and rehabilitation. The Leprosy Relief was obtained by the contractually agreed cooperation with a French leprosy Institute staff support by a French specialist, a plastic surgeon, an ophthalmologist, laboratory and nursing staff and a physiotherapist. The Leprosy Relief Iran worked closely with the Iranian Ministry of Health.
Khaneh siah ast
About Baba Baghi, also a separate village with lepers, the poet Forough Farrokhzad has a moving film with the title " Khāneh siah ast " ( The house is black) rotated, which won the Grand Prize at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen 1963.