History

Netherlands Leprosy Relief was founded on 30th March 1967, with a commitment to promoting and supporting the fight against leprosy and the consequences of this disease. NLR is one of the founding members of ILEP. It has over 100 projects in about 20 countries.

Priorities

Leprosy is often neglected. It can stigmatise the patients and their families. The objective of NLR is to promote and support the control of leprosy and the after-effects of the disease through a public health approach, in compliance with the new Global Strategy of the World Health Organization and its operational guidelines.

NLR supports national leprosy control programmes and promotes the integration of these programmes into the countries' health systems. Leprosy patients should have access to general health service facilities, where they will be diagnosed and treated and provided with adequate care, both during and after chemotherapy. NLR aims for comprehensive leprosy control and is increasing its activities in the field of rehabilitation.

In addition to the prime aim of preventing leprosy patients from developing nerve damage, attention is paid to disability and the consequent social exclusion.

The co-operation with partners in endemic countries is mostly formalised in long-term agreements with the national health authorities. NLR is prepared to face the challenges of dealing with leprosy as a "normal" infectious disease within the general health care system, even under circumstances of relatively low incidence.

Knowledge and skills of primary health care workers are of great importance for adequate leprosy control programmes. NLR gives high priority to training and education of local health staff. In addition to its leprosy work in endemic areas, NLR is one of the major supporters of leprosy related scientific research. Also the leprosy information service Infolep is supported by NLR.