THE REALITY:

Excluded before they even reach the door.

In Nepal, a diagnosis of leprosy can end a marriage, destroy a livelihood, and mark a person as untouchable for life. A woman living with obstetric fistula — a condition caused by prolonged or obstructed labour — is often  isolated, and too ashamed to seek help. People born with disability, or into lower castes, learn early that some doors aren't open to them.

In Nepali culture, this exclusion is also visible at the dinner table, a place the represents belonging and welcome. Those on the margins are simply not invited to sit.

Every year, INF's three hospitals see over 117,000 patients. Many come from the most marginalised communities in Nepal. But for thousands more, the barriers of poverty, stigma, and geography mean they never make it through the door at all.

THE IDEA:

A different kind of table.

Across history and cultures, the table has always represented more than a place to eat. It's where people are welcomed — or excluded. Where dignity is restored — or denied.

There's an ancient idea that the most radical thing you can do for someone pushed to the margins is simply to move toward them. To make space. To say: there is a place for you here.

Jesus moved toward the people others avoided. He touched those considered “untouchable.” He welcomed those pushed to the edges.
And He sat at tables where others refused to sit. 

That's the spirit behind The Table.

The Table is INF Australia's community of 300 monthly supporters — people choosing to hold open a place so that those too often excluded can access the healthcare they need and the dignity they deserve.

The Table extends a welcome to those most excluded.