The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation were jointly awarded the 2008 Damien Dutton Award at a ceremony on 10^th October 2008.

Chairman Yohei Sasakawa of The Nippon Foundation received the Award from Dr Douglas Walsh, Director of the Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid Inc, at the Tokyo American Centre. Professor Kenzo Kiikuni was present too to receive the Award as Chair of the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation.

These two Foundations were considered worthy of this most prestigious Award in particular for:

• providing significant financial support for leprosy care in endemic countries for the purchase of medication, equipment, training materials and logistical support, which was influential in improving the global image of leprosy as a public health problem;
• initiating and supporting research into an alternative to Dapsone for treating people with leprosy through the role of Professor Morizo Ishidate and the hosting of an international chemotherapy workshop in Manila in 1977, recognised as leading to the finding of multidrug therapy for leprosy, which is the recommended treatment today;
• playing a key role in reducing the number of people with active leprosy due to their major provision of multidrug therapy around the world; and
• tackling the social and humanitarian aspects of leprosy.

Dr Walsh praised Mr Sasakawa’s service as Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and as the Japanese Government Goodwill Ambassador for Human Rights of People Affected by Leprosy as well as his personal commitment to a world without leprosy-related medical and social problems.  

 

The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation
These two organisations came into being through the involvement of Mr Ryoichi Sasakawa, the President of the Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation (later to be renamed The Nippon Foundation), in leprosy care in the early 1960s. On his 75^th Birthday, he decided to gradually extend the leprosy work of The Nippon Foundation around the world. The Nippon Foundation began collaborating through the Leprosy Unit of the World Health Organisation. In 1974 it created the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation whose specific remit is to remove leprosy from the world.

The Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation has been a Member of the ILEP Federation since 1975. Their Medical Adviser, Dr Yo Yuasa, received this Award in 2002.

Website of the Nippon Foundation: http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/eng/index.html

Website of the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation: http://www.smhf.or.jp/e/index.html

 

Damien Dutton Award
This Award was created by the Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid Inc., which is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the ridding the world of leprosy. It is named after both Father Damien, a Belgian priest, who is to be canonised in 2009 for the care and attention he gave to people affected by leprosy on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, and after Joseph Dutton, a US civilian war veteran, who helped Father Damien whilst he had leprosy.

Winners of this Award since 1953:

1953        Stanley Stein, USA
1954        Rev Joseph Sweeney, Korea
1955        Sister Marie Suzanne, France
1956        Perry Burgess, USA
1957        John Farrow, USA
1958        Sister Hilary Ross, USA
1959        Dr H Windsor Wade, Philippines
1960        Msgr Louis J Mendelis, USA
1961        Dr Kensuke Mitsuda, Japan
1962        Rev Pierre de Orgeval, France
1963        Eunice Weaver, Brazil
1964        Dr Robert Cochrane, UK
1965        John F Kennedy, USA (posthumously)
1966        Peace Corps, USA
1967        Dr Howard Rusk, USA
1968        Dr Frans Hemerijckx, Belgium
1969        Dr Victor Heiser, USA
1970        Dr Dharmendra, India
1971        Dr Chapman Binford, USA
1972        Dr Patricia Smith, Vietnam
1973        Dr Jacinto Convit, Venezuela
1974        Dr Jose N Rodriquez, Philippines
1975        Dr Oliver Hasselblad, USA
1976        Dr Yoshio Yoshie, Japan
1977        Drs Paul and Margaret Brand, USA
1978        Dr Fernando Latapi, Mexico
1979        Dr Stanley Brown, UK
1980        Robert Watelet, Zaire
1981        American Leprosy Missions, USA
1982        Dr Ma Heide, Peoples Republic of China
1983        Murlidhar D Amte (Baba Amte), India
1984        Mother Teresa, India
1985        Dr John Hanks, USA
1986        Samuel Butcher, USA
1987        Dr W Felton Ross, USA
1988        Hermann Kober, West Germany 
1989        Catholic Medical Mission Board, USA
1990        Dr Wayne Meyers, USA
1991        Dr Ruth Pfau, Pakistan
1992        Anwei Skinsnes Law, USA
1993        Dr C K Job, India
1994        International Journal of Leprosy, USA
1995        Dr Joon Lew, Korea
1996        Richard Marks, Molokai
1997        Dr Roy Pfaltzgraff, USA
1998        Jean Margaret Watson, UK
1999        Dr Margaret Anne Meyer, USA
2000        Dr V K Desikan, India
2001        Professor Michel Lechat, Belgium
2002        Dr Yo Yuasa, Japan
2003        Gerard Kirchner, USA
2004        Dr Michael Waters, UK
2005        Eliazar Rose, India
2006        Dr Ernst Fritschi, India
2007        Dr Roland Cellona, Philippines 

Website of the Damien-Dutton Society for Leprosy Aid Inc: http://www.damien-duttonleprosysociety.org/   

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