The Order of Malta’s CIOMAL Foundation is very pleased to begin this new partnership with Alliance Against Leprosy (AAL), which is active in the fight against leprosy in Brazil, a country that pays great attention to reducing the incidence of this disease.
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR LEPROSY PATIENTS IN BRAZIL
This 3-year program represents a global budget of CHF 80’000.
Through this first fundraising campaign we want to raise: CHF 25’000.
This amount will be used to fund:
orthopaedic shoe repair: CHF 10’000.00
telemedicine: CHF 10’000.00
technical training of local teams: CHF 5’000.
This collaboration is based on assistance to leprosy patients and focuses on skills transfer and training. It will contribute to the intervention in Mato Grosso, where the needs are considerable. The surface of this Brazilian state is 20 times the size of Switzerland, which contributes to a plethora of social inequalities as well as numerous transportation problems. These factors unfortunately favor the transmission of leprosy: every year, more than 4’000 new cases of leprosy are detected there, of which nearly 200 are among children.
Once again, the CIOMAL Foundation will rely on three strong axes to achieve its objective:
- create orthopedic shoe repair shops as well as the possibility of equipping a shoe repair truck and training its specialized personnel;
- encourage telemedicine, which has shown its potential during the current pandemic; many leprologists will be able to supervise general practitioners working in the region’s clinics, which will improve the detection and quality of patient care and increase the transfer of skills;
- allow for the continuous training of local teams.
Shoe repair truck CRIDAC
Reference Center for the Treatment of Physical Disabilities in Mato Grosso
AAL visit to the city of Alta Floresta in November 2020
The many international partnerships between specialized non-governmental organizations have proven their worth. The one started by the CIOMAL Foundation and Alliance Against Leprosy in liaison with the local health authorities is essential to curb leprosy. Our experience of more than 20 years in Cambodia has convinced us that this is the most effective way to achieve results for both patients and health care teams.
WHO IS ALLIANCE AGAINST LEPROSY?
Dr. Laila de Laguiche Leprologist
Alliance Against Leprosy Institute, based in Curitiba, Paraná, is an international non-profit association that brings together science, education and philanthropy against Hansen’s disease. The association was founded by Dr. Laila de Laguiche, a dermatologist and leprologist who has specialized in tropical diseases for over 20 years.
The AAL Association has distinguished itself since its foundation in 2019 by managing training programs for more than 800 health professionals active in the field of leprosy. Several actions, especially on social networks, were carried out in partnership with specialized medical authorities including the Brazilian Association of Hansenology, on whose Board of Directors Dr. Laila de Laguiche served from 2018 to 2020.
By the end of 2019, nearly 6 million people were already indirect beneficiaries of these actions.
AAL can count on the skills of its founder and the networks of influence at her disposal to carry out its mission
I CAN CHANGE A LIFE TODAY
People affected by leprosy suffer from terrible discrimination and unjust isolation.
Patients often do not have access to drug treatments because they are too expensive for them. Even a small donation can help provide the necessary treatment and give people affected by leprosy a new life.