Launch of the Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation
October 11, 2007

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation and founder of Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation, addressing Asia Society India Centre, 10/11/07.

The 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. The foundation was established in November 2006 in Delhi as an independent Indian Charitable Trust by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and was formally launched in India in October 2007. Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, is the founder of SILF, and Mr. Tarun Das is Chairperson of the SILF Board of Trustees.

In India there are more than 11 million leprosy-cured persons up for rehabilitation and some 670 self-settled leprosy colonies existing across the country. Begging is the only means of livelihood for most leprosy-affected people and most NGOs and charitable organizations work only towards medical rehabilitation in terms of treatment and cure. The Sasakawa Foundation's main purpose is to unite leprosy-affected people and their children and help them gain access to education, train them in feasible livelihood streams, and arrange microfinance opportunities for them. It also brings together self-help groups among the leprosy-affected in touch with other NGOs and charitable organizations who help them restore dignity and meaning to their lives. SILF also works towards raising awareness among different groups of people of social and economic discrimination against leprosy-affected people.

To celebrate the launch of the Sasakawa Foundation, an event supported by the Asia Society India Centre was organised in Mumbai on October 11, 2007. At the event, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej, founding member of Asia Society India Centre, pledged his support for the cause and urged the corporate sector to participate in this endeavour of rehabilitating leprosy-affected people and their families.

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