Global Appeal 2021 Endorsement & Website Launched! Persons Affected by Leprosy

Oleh: Nuah Perdamenta Tarigan (nuah.tarigan@binus.ac.id)

Penulis adalah Dosen Character Building, Bina Nusantara University Jakarta, Chairman Gerakan Peduli Disabilitas dan Lepra Indonesia (GPDLI).

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a contagious disease that can be treated with freely available medications. However, while medications can cure the disorder, they can’t remove the social stigma and discrimination that come with decades of leprosy myths and misunderstandings.

The Global Appeal is an annual message to raise awareness and demand an end to unjustified prejudice against people living with leprosy. The World Leprosy Day appeal was started in 2006 by Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. It is given every January to coincide with World Leprosy Day.

Every year, it receives funding from prominent partners from various fields in order to foster unity and ensure that its message reaches as many people as possible.