Welcome to World Leprosy Day 2024
World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday of January every year to raise the awareness of leprosy.
This date was chosen by the French humanitarian, Raoul Follereau, as a tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi who had great compassion for people with leprosy. Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948. |
Leprosy is a devastating disease, causing life-altering disability, fear, and uncertainty for those living with it. But your kindness and commitment is helping us to reach every single person we can with the cure, medical care, and loving support - long-term.
Our priority is always finding people quickly to deliver the cure and prevent needless disability. With your support, our teams focus on caring with great compassion for those who have faced rejection.
Naseeba's story
Naseeba lives with her children and grandchildren. Her husband and son are day wage labourers. The family struggle to make ends meet. Naseeba was facing many health problems when she noticed patches on her hand. Both her brothers had leprosy, so when she visited them, our close contact team checked her carefully. It was leprosy.
Naseeba lives with her children and grandchildren. Her husband and son are day wage labourers. The family struggle to make ends meet. Naseeba was facing many health problems when she noticed patches on her hand. Both her brothers had leprosy, so when she visited them, our close contact team checked her carefully. It was leprosy.
People like Naseeba urgently need the cure for leprosy. She needs medical supervision to make sure she’s responding well to treatment and training so she can look out for signs of nerve damage that could lead to permanent disability.
I have met people living with leprosy around the world. People often living in abject poverty and facing severe challenges in finding health care. But, I have seen the huge impact that your support has made on those who need it most - when they are cured and able to flourish! |
Please would you provide Naseeba and others like her with the cure and medical care they need this year? Without urgent diagnosis and treatment, they face life-altering disability and devastating stigma. We are hoping to raise £10,000 to help cure leprosy before it causes disability and to care for people living with leprosy.
Urgently caring for people affected by leprosy is critical to end leprosy for good. It cannot happen without your help and prayer. |
St Francis Leprosy Guild's prayer for people with leprosy
Lord, we remember the many people around the world afflicted by leprosy. May we follow the example of your Son, Jesus, and St Francis of Assisi and show them love and compassion. We pray that they may be freed from the disease and its stigma. We give thanks for those who have been cured. We remember those who are permanently marked by the disease and all who care for them. Amen. |