Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation Commits itself to India's Leprosy - Affected People

New Delhi, Delhi, India

The Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation, an organization focused on helping people affected by leprosy to return to the mainstream, by supporting them through economic and social empowerment was launched today by Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Present on the occasion were Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Founder of SILF and Chairperson, The Nippon Foundation and Mr. Tarun Das, Chairperson, SILF Board of Trustees.

The Foundation will dedicate itself to the challenging task of socio-economic rehabilitation of the estimated 11 million people in India who have been cured of the disease in the last decade. Through its umbrella organisation, The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Foundation will infuse USD 10 million into the country for this purpose.

India Facts:

-- 11 million leprosy cured persons up for rehabilitation

-- 670 self settled leprosy colonies existing across the country

-- Begging is the only means of livelihood for most of leprosy affected people

-- Most NGOs and charitable organizations are working towards medical rehabilitation in terms of treatment and cure

Head of the Sasakawa Foundation and The Nippon Foundation Chairperson Mr Yohei Sasakawa added, "The Sasakawa Foundation's efforts will be targeted towards rehabilitating those cured of leprosy through education and instituting measures to boost economic independence. Too many people affected by leprosy are reduced to begging only because they are been forced to become social outcasts. Our aim is to reintegrate them into the mainstream of society through building awareness about leprosy and by helping to rehabilitate the affected by providing them with income-generation options."

SILF has also joined hands with corporate India to render these efforts more effective and offer its services more extensively. The corporate commitment will not be limited to providing funds for the organisation alone, but making concerted efforts to set up vocational training units, providing employment opportunities and infusing funds for awareness campaigns.

A study conducted by IDEA (International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement) and commissioned by TNF shows that India currently hosts 670 exclusive self settled colonies of leprosy affected and cured persons. SILF will act closely with NGOs, acting as a catalyst for creating self-help groups for the leprosy affected with the support of such NGOs. The Foundation's activities will also include providing access to education to the cured persons and their families, training in various vocational streams and opening doors to microfinance opportunities for self-sustaining marketable enterprises.

A great volume of work in the areas of early detection and cure of the disease has already been undertaken by the Central and State Governments. However, the first challenge ahead is to eliminate the stigma associated with the disease due to the plethora of existing misinformation and misconceptions.

ABOUT Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF)

Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) is a newly formed charitable organization dedicated to the task of mainstreaming leprosy affected and cured people through economic and social empowerment. It unites leprosy affected people and their children to gain access to education, training them in feasible livelihood streams and drawing them away from the demeaning and soul destroying activity of begging for alms, arranging for microfinance opportunities for them and acting as a catalyst in putting the self help groups among the leprosy affected in touch with other NGOs and charitable organizations that can help them restore a dignity and meaning to their lives. SILF also works towards raising awareness among different groups of people against social and economic discrimination of leprosy affected people. The foundation was established in November 2006 in Delhi as an independent Indian Charitable Trust and has been formally launched in India in October 2007.

Source: Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) (Business Wire India)

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