A German nun known as ‘Pakistan’s Mother Teresa’ has been honoured by Google with a ‘Google Doodle’ on what would have been her 90th birthday.
Sr Ruth Pfau, who died in 2017, is credited with eradicating leprosy from Pakistan. Born in Leipzig in 1929, she converted to Catholicism in her 20s and was inspired to become a nun after meeting a concentration camp survivor.
After qualifying as a doctor she joined the Daughters of the Heart of Mary and was sent as a missionary to India, but was delayed at Karachi where she began working with people affected by leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease.
She subsequently founded Pakistan’s first hospital dedicated to treating the disease, building a network of over 150 further medical centres.
The World Health Organisation deemed leprosy under control in Pakistan in 1996.
A Google Doodle is a temporary alteration of the logo on the internet giant’s homepage, intended to mark significant events.
