Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundationand Oriental University inaugurated Regional Youth Festival to bring youth from various backgrounds together to disseminate a message of togetherness.

Sasakawa – India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) organises nationwide camps to raise awareness and sensitise youngsters about Leprosy and to encourage them tofight against Leprosyso as to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s unfinished agenda ofa ‘Leprosy Free India’.

Indore, 17 October 2022–Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) in collaboration with Oriental University, Indore is going to organise ‘Youth Against Leprosy’, a Regional Youth Festival to raise awareness about Leprosy. The Youth Festival will be organised at the Oriental University campus, Indore. Previously, such Youth Festivals have been organised by S-ILF in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The event will bring together youth from various leprosy colonies and from different colleges from the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in one platform and in one spirit. During the three-day festival, the participants will engage in close interaction through several creative activities under performing arts.

S-ILF’s youth festival provides a platform for young people from non-leprosy backgrounds (students from different colleges / universities) to mingle and interact with youth from leprosy colonies. These interactions are aimed to bust myths and create social bridges among college youth regarding leprosy. Youth Festival helps to bridge the “us versus them” divide.

Addressing the eventDr Vivek Lal, Chief Executive Officer, Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundationsaid, “Despite campaigns to raise awareness about leprosy, several myths and misconceptions remain prevalent in the community leading to stigma and discrimination. The younger generation can play a key role in spreading key messages with regard to the disease- that leprosy is caused by a bacteria; is curable and treatment is available free of cost. We at S-ILF firmly believe that such positive messaging will lead to elimination of stigma and help create a more inclusive society.India accounts for the largest number of new case detection of leprosy in the world. Let us all join hands and come together to work towards socio-economic rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy and help combat stigma and discrimination in order to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a ‘Leprosy Free India’.

The Chief Guest for the event wereProfessor (Dr.) Sunil Somani, Vice Chancellor, Oriental Universityfelicitated the prize winners and urged everyone to support the cause.