DOCC Project: International Leprosy Union, Pune
Creating Awareness and Generating Sponsorships for Children Living under the Shadow of Leprosy.
Team - Rakesh Menon, Rohit Upadhyay, Pramod Kulal
The image of leprosy has undergone a dramatic change in the last 20 years. Today leprosy is completely curable thanks to Multi Drug Therapy (MDT).
Yet, we find helpless communities of once leprosy affected people living far away from the mainstream society. They still have a lot of sufferings and have to face ostracism and stigma. Ever wondered why? Well… Are we responsible in some way for their present state?
To a large extent – the answer would be “Yes”. Reason being, we are totally unaware about Leprosy, its causes or the myths and realities related to the disease. This project has sensitized us to all above mentioned facts. Today we know that leprosy is the least infectious disease, that it’s not hereditary and is definitely not the wrath of God or the punishment for past sins!
Under these circumstances, the children living under the shadow of leprosy suffer the most. These are children who themselves may not be affected with leprosy but whose parents had been. Though their parents have been cured of leprosy they still have to live in these communities for no fault of theirs.
It is the needs of such children that the project aims to cater to with the help of corporate group level and individual sponsorships. We prepared a movie, a poster for appeal and gave presentations to several corporate groups. To spread awareness, we used the power of the internet through a blog (http:/ilupuneblog.blogspot.com/) and extensive mail campaigns. We also proposed the idea of using a mascot “Gyanu” and cartoon strips in regional languages to reach out to a wider audience.
Moving ahead the mission can be accomplished only with active participation from each one of us. So let’s come together, spread awareness and walk the last mile towards giving leprosy a human face…
Weblinks: http:/ilupuneblog.blogspot.com/
Cheers,
Rakesh, Rohit and Pramod
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