The Nippon Foundation, a Japanese private organization dedicated to philanthropic activities around the world, said Sunday it will raise $20 million to help people in India with Hansen's disease.
The nonprofit organization, which is committed to global efforts to eliminate Hansen's disease, plans to raise $10 million in Japan. It will launch a similar initiative in India to raise the other $10 million.
Yohei Sasakawa, head of the foundation and the World Health Organization's goodwill ambassador for the elimination of the disease, made the announcement at a conference in New Delhi on the occasion of the 53rd World Leprosy Day.
He also announced the launch of vocational training, micro-credit schemes for women and access to quality education for children of Hansen's disease patients living in colonies.
At the conference, a global appeal signed by 11 world leaders to end the stigma against Hansen's was released, including former Indian President R. Venkataraman, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.