- Every year, 30 January, Martyr’s Day, is observed as Anti-Leprosy Day, in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi.
- MoU signed between Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF)for partnership to spread awareness about Leprosy and help create an enabling environment for persons affected by Leprosy and their families.
- Young Indians- CII joins S-ILF in the fight against Leprosy
Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) is an organisation dedicated to the socio-economic empowerment of persons affected by leprosy and their families. In collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), S-ILF facilitated a multi-stakeholder dialogue todiscuss creationof stronger social networks to enable people affected by leprosy to lead a life of dignity, with equal opportunities for basic human rights, education, livelihood, and healthcare.
Mr. Tarun Das, Chairman, S-ILF emphasised the importance of corporates joining hands with S-ILF for the cause of Leprosy. Such partnerships had become even more relevant in the context of prevailing covid pandemic which had negatively impacted the health and livelihoods of already marginalized people residing in Leprosy colonies.
During this meeting, a partnership evolved between Young Indians-CII (Yi) and S-ILF. Speaking on the occasion, Ms SmitaAgarwal, National Chair, Yi reaffirmed the commitment of Young Indians towards creating awareness about the disease in general community and that such collective efforts would lend a powerful force in our endeavour towards Leprosy free India. Yi as an integral part of CII, the membership of which includes young progressive Indians comprising entrepreneurs, professionals and achievers from different walks of life. More than 200 youth industry leaders attended the online event.
The Chief Guest for the event, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General CII said, “In partnership with S-ILF, CII has taken initiatives towards awareness generation and social integration. We have reached out to more than 500 corporates together, thereby impacting a large number of possible employers and partners for persons affected by Leprosy.” He announced that the collaboration between CII and S-ILF was being renewed and a new MoU was signed to cover access to corporates and support for humanitarian aid and skilling to improve employability.
Mr Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and recipient of the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize 2018, outlined the importance of youth in creating awareness and mitigating stigma against the disease.
Ignorance about leprosy still exists and the platform provided an opportunity to sensitize a large number of young entrepreneurs and industry leaders through a presentation made by Dr Vivek Lal, CEO, S-ILF.
As part of the program, success stories of young persons from leprosy colonies were presented, who had been able to pursue higher professional studies through S-ILF support.
