Dalai Lama & Yohei Sasakawa provide higher education aid for children of leprosy-affected families

Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness The Dalai Lama and WHO Goodwill ambassador for leprosy eradication, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa announced the donation of US $100,000 ANNUALY over a period of five years for the education of children from leprosy-affected families. The scholarship which is to be administered jointly by Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) and the Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL) will focus on providing financial support for induction and completion of professional courses by these children.

The Representative of the Dalai Lama Trust said His Holiness is keenly interested in issues related to leprosy, and has urged people not to discriminate against those who have been affected by leprosy. To put it literally in the words of His Holiness, “Society uneasily accepts unfortunate people, in this case the leprosy-affected people. We must reach out to every human being. We believe in the practice of love and compassion. We must bring these completely cured patients into society. That is the greatest service to Buddha and to God. At a human level this is a very important practice of secular ethics.”

His Holiness The Dalai Lama visited Kasturba Gram Colony in Tahirpur Leprosy Complex, Delhi in March this year in response to an invitation extended by Mr Yohei Sasakawa. During this visit, His Holiness pledged financial support to leprosy-affected families. The Tibetan Buddhist leader was keen that to see that the children from leprosy colonies have the opportunity to stand tall among the rest of the world and pursue excellence in their chosen fields.  Following the Tibetan leader’s visit, Mr Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation also pledged additional funds for scholarships for the children of leprosy-affected families.  Jointly named the HH the Dalai Lama-Sasakawa Scholarship, these funds will provide scholarships to children of leprosy-affected parents to pursue professional and higher degree courses. The scholarship will be administered by SILF with the support of APAL.

“Coming from His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself, this Scholarship is sure to encourage the leprosy-affected communities all over the country and as well as throughout the world.,” said Mr Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the elimination of Leprosy and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation. 

“We are equal members of the society.  Social discrimination has led to our communities being gradually deprived of education; and self-esteem as a result of that.  This scholarship will help our children to come forward and receive the much needed valuable education to be financially independent and move away from the practice of begging,” said APAL’s president, V Narsappa. 

“SILF will be a committed partner in supporting this initiative over the years” said Dr Vineeta Shanker, Executive Director of the Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation.

Mr Yohei Sasakawa is Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation established in 1962 for the purpose of carrying out philanthropic activities, using revenue from motorboat racing.

Yohei Sasakawa has worked relentlessly for the mainstreaming of leprosy-affected people throughout his life. He has described the elimination of leprosy (the oldest disease known to humankind) as his life’s work, and spends one third of every year travelling around the world as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, a position he has held since 2001. As Goodwill Ambassador, he spearheads a campaign to end discrimination and other human rights violations faced by tens of millions of leprosy-affected people around the world.

The Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL) is committed to the social and economic empowerment of persons affected by leprosy in India. Formerly known as the National Forum, the association works  with its representatives in states to improve the lives of those affected by leprosy and to end the discrimination so many of them face. 

Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) is a charitable organization dedicated to the task of mainstreaming leprosy-affected and cured people through economic and social empowerment. Instituted in 2006, SILF is the brain child of Mr Yohei Sasakawa, the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Leprosy and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation.

Through their programmes, namely education and sustainable livelihood, SILF have been contributing to mainstreaming families of leprosy affected people through economic and social empowerment. They are spread across 17 states in India and in the past decade have impacted the lives of thousands of people through their different programmes of livelihood, education and vocational training.

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