During the last half-century, we have been able to help more than half a million people suffering from leprosy and other diseases of poverty. Today, we work for people who find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of poverty and poor health. And we have adopted a new name: FAIRMED – Health for the Poorest.

  

More than half a million leprosy patients healed, thousands of children infected with Buruli ulcer helped, tens of thousands enabled to live in dignity, thanks to 150 million Swiss francs in donations – that is the shape of our balance sheet after 50 years of action to combat leprosy and other diseases of poverty. On 6 March 2009, we celebrated this significant anniversary in the Centre Paul Klee in Berne (Switzerland), with a review of past successes and the presentation of the challenges for the future.

12 million people affected by leprosy
When Leprosy Relief Emmaus Schweiz was founded by Marcel Farine in Berne in 1959, there were 12 million people suffering from leprosy in the world. Today, according to the WHO, around 260,000 patients are still being detected each year. This success story was made possible thanks to the development of effective medicines and the enormous efforts of relief organisations, the governments of the affected countries, the WHO and pharmaceutical companies. 

In 1966, a number of leprosy relief organisations came together in Berne to found the present International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP). ILEP, now based in London, is of vital importance in the fight against leprosy and is unique in its role of co-ordinating the work of organisations that have committed themselves to the same subject. To this day, the ILEP co-ordinates the flow of funds into leprosy projects so as to prevent duplication of effort and to concentrate resources. It is an established partner of the WHO and the governments in the affected countries.

Leprosy is becoming a neglected disease
The work of Leprosy Relief was characterised by the development of medicines. After the 1960s, when resistance made Dapsone virtually useless, it concentrated on enabling the disfigured and outcast people to enjoy a dignified life. This strategy underwent a change when an effective medication at last became available at the start of the 1980s with the "multi-drug therapy". The goal was now to find and treat all those with leprosy and thereby work towards eliminating the disease.

After thirty years, leprosy no longer presents a public health threat in most countries. Since 2007, the WHO has placed leprosy on the list of neglected diseases. Nevertheless, it has not been eliminated. As a classic disease of poverty, it occurs most commonly in all regions where people are forced to live in precarious health conditions. Without an improvement in these people’s living conditions or a new form of treatment, it will scarcely be possible to eliminate leprosy.

Broadening of the commitment
With the successes achieved in the fight against leprosy, Leprosy Relief has increasingly shifted its focus to people suffering from other poverty-related diseases. The biggest step took place at the beginning of this century with the launch of the fight against Buruli ulcer. The pathogen is related to those of leprosy and tuberculosis and causes the most severe deformities if left untreated. Buruli ulcer is confined almost exclusively to people living in poor rural areas and who generally lack access to medical care.

In the fight against Buruli ulcer, too, it is apparent that sustained improvement can only be achieved through a general improvement in people’s living conditions. The new Leprosy Relief projects are therefore being focused on two parallel courses: on the one hand, it is about empowering the affected people to get involved in the improvement of their environment and on the other, to set up the necessary health structures.

Health for the poorest 
At the community level, Leprosy Relief improves the capabilities of the affected persons thereby better equipping them to demand their right to health for themselves. Volunteers are used to organise education campaigns, communal assemblies and health committees. In this way, the affected persons are able to represent their own interests. Alongside this, Leprosy Relief strengthens the structures, in that health centres are built and equipped and local personal trained in the necessary know-how.

The name Leprosy Relief is no longer sufficient to properly describe the commitment. The organisation focuses on people who are trapped in the vicious circle of poverty and disease, irrespective of a specific illness. The new name "FAIRMED – Health for the Poorest" reflects the extensive work put into the projects today. This 50-year anniversary is the opportunity to take this step for a further 50 years of commitment to the health of the poorest.

E-mail: info@fairmed.ch 

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