WIREDGOV

Around 120,000 people suffering from leprosy and elephantiasis in India are to benefit from a project awarded £486,645 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The award to UK charity Lepra comes in the run up to World Leprosy Day on January 25. The funding will benefit poverty-stricken people in Bihar through raising community awareness of causes, symptoms and treatment along with improving sanitation and hygiene in 465 villages.

Up to 25,000 of the people most in need in the Samastipur district of Bihar will receive bespoke shoes to reduce the likelihood of injuries and resulting ulcers. People with leprosy lose sensation in their feet and often don’t feel any pain when they suffer wounds. Different specialist shoes will be provided to people with elephantiasis. In addition, art, street theatre, film shows and exhibitions will be used to raise awareness about prevention and treatment.

Leprosy is an infectious disease of the skin and nerves which if left untreated can cause disability and blindness. It is one of the world’s oldest diseases however last year 126,913 new cases were diagnosed in India, the highest in the world according to the World Health Organisation.

Elephantiasis, or lymphatic filariasis, is an extremely painful incurable disfiguring disease transmitted though bites of infected mosquitoes. The parasites produce millions of immature larvae that circulate in the blood causing permanent damage to the lymphatic system causing swelling in parts of the body. The project will promote self-care practices amongst those affected and support the Indian Government’s mass drug administration and also its malaria control programme.

Lepra Chief Executive, Sarah Nancollas, said: “India accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the world’s burden of leprosy with more than two million living with the disabling consequences of the disease in extreme poverty, isolation and neglect. A third of the world’s filariasis-affected people are living in India. Through this project we will tackle the stigma associated with leprosy and filariasis and treat associated disabilities, improve village-level sanitation and hygiene and work with public health workers to break transmission of the disease.

“Over the next five years, the project will contribute to halting and reversing the swelling of body tissue for 67,000 people, facilitate up to 25,000 procedures to remove hydrocoele in men and provide bespoke footwear to 20-25,000 people with leprosy and filariasis-related disabilities.”

Read the stories of Kalpana and Sita Devi, who have been helped by Lepra

Lepra, based in Colchester, is one of 17 UK-based organisations sharing £7.5 million in the latest round of awards from the Fund’s International Communities programme.

Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund Chair, said: “Leprosy is a disease that many people think belongs to the past but it is still a terrible reality for people today. I am delighted that we are able to support Lepra and other UK charities which are helping to deal with some of the problems faced by people in real and immediate need. Our International Communities programme is supporting practical ways of tackling the causes of poverty, deprivation and exploitation to help secure better futures for some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”

More than 35,000 families in 82 villages in South-West Bangladesh will benefit from a£473,405 grant to Concern Universal, based in Hereford. It’s projects aims to make farms, homesteads and infrastructure more storm and flood resilient and adapted to cope with rising water levels. The project will develop plans, upgrade embankments and introduce innovative and eco-friendly farming technology. Committees will be established and trained in understanding government policy, climate change and waterlogging, drainage and irrigation. Communities will develop their own initiatives such as repairs to latrines, pond cleaning and road repairs. The project will disseminate best practices for farming techniques and the use of different crop varieties.

Primary school children living in remote rural areas around Cusco, Peru, will be supported by a project by London-based charity Childhope UK that aims to help them continue with their education. Poverty causes many children to drop out of school so families will receive small loans, advice on completing homework and will the project will work with schools to address any issues. Childhope UK receives a £324,657 grant.

Send a Cow, based in Bath, receives £499,969 to support farming families in the southern highlands of Ethiopia become more productive and more self sufficient. Through training, farmers organised into self-help groups will gain agricultural knowledge and skills to manage their land, water, trees and livestock. This will help them become more secure and produce surplus food to sell for income and develop businesses. Farmers will be introduced to new vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, apples and plums and will be given vegetable seeds and fruit tree seedlings. The poorest families will receive sheep or poultry and will pass on offspring to other trained farmers. Schools will establish kitchen gardens and poultry houses. The project will assist just under 20,000 people.

Poor and landless cotton farming families in Ordisha, eastern India, will receive support to increase their food security. In trying to overcome their poverty, farming families undertake high risk unsustainable cotton cultivation at the expense of food crops which undermines long-term livelihoods. The Traidcraft Exchange in Gateshead receives £457,690 for a project to promote more sustainable and diverse agricultural practices.

Other UK-based organisations receiving funding:

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For funding and general enquiries call:
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Notes to editors

Case studies including photographs are available. They include:

Kalpana, who suffered domestic violence at the hands of her violent soldier husband for five years after he discovered she had leprosy. With Lepra’s support she now runs a shop.

Sita Devi, who developed lymphatic filariasis ten years ago but has found relief through Lepra treatment.

• The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery.
• The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
• In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was awarded to projects. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £32 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.