S-260, Panchsheel Park (FF), New Delhi -110017

ANNUAL REPORT 2013-14

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CONTENT

PAGE NOS.

1. About S-ILF 3

2. Message from the Chairman 4

3. Message from the Director 5

4. Projects

I. Creation of Sustainable Alternative Livelihood 6

a. Livelihoods Projects 6 b. Trainings c. Other Workshops d. Meetings e. Large Project Activities 6-10 f. Partners 11 II. Education a. Nursing Scholarship Programme 12 b. Skills to Employment Programme(STEP-UP) 13 III. Communication

a. Advocacy and Awareness Building 14-23

5. Financial Highlights

I. Audited Financial Statement 24

6. About S-ILF

I. Bankers 25

II. Board of Trustees 25

II. Committees 25

IV. S-ILF Team 26

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SASAKAWA –INDIA LEPROSY FOUNDATION Instituted in November 2006, Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) is a registered Indian charitable trust that seeks to integrate persons with leprosy and their families into society and help restore dignity and meaning to their lives. It is committed to mainstreaming leprosy affected people and their families in India through socio-economic empowerment. S-ILF works towards enabling those cured of leprosy to regain independent and sustainable means of livelihood through measures that enhance their skills and abilities. S-ILF provided financial and technical assistance to enable leprosy affected people to shift from begging into dignified livelihoods. It also works with youths whose parents are affected in providing them opportunities for skill development and vocational training. S-ILF advocates for raising awareness among different sections of society against social and economic discrimination of leprosy affected people. S-ILF does this through its Pillars of Work. S-ILF’S PILLARS OF WORK

(i) Facilitating Access to Vocational Training and Higher Education

(ii) Capacity Building and Training in Livelihood Activities

(iii) Arranging for Microfinance Opportunities

(iv) Acting as a Catalyst in Forming Self Help Groups

(v) Raising Awareness About Leprosy Among all Sections of the Society to Fight the

Stigma

(vi) Working in Association with Other NGOs, Charitable Organisations, and Individual

Mentors etc. to Achieve Its Objectives.

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN I am pleased to present the annual report of S-ILF for the year 2013-2014. The report highlights the significant achievements made by the foundation in the last year. Initiatives, both in creating livelihood and in raising awareness, have begun to help people affected by leprosy and their families build a better life for themselves. This year S-ILF has ventured into new terrains. The Foundation has made steady progress and has expanded its reach to 17 states across India. There are now a total of 171 livelihood projects currently running all across India. It has increased efforts to take the project beneficiaries for exposure visits where they can see first-hand the functioning of different micro enterprises and learn how to make their initiatives successful. There is noticeable progress not only in terms of financial success of the enterprises but also in terms of confidence of the beneficiaries in further expanding the projects and making a definitive move away from begging. This was clearly visible in terms of the proposals received as well as the three projects that won S-ILF’s 4th Rising to Dignity Award, 2014.

The Education Programme has also progressed well in the last year. S-ILF was able to collaborate with National Skill Development Corporation for training 350 youth from the colonies of Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Nursing scholarship has also gained popularity among the colonies and S-ILF has received overwhelming response as compared to last year. S-ILF continued to strive towards achieving the goal of eradicating stigma associated with leprosy. It organized its 4th Rising to Dignity Awards, organised meetings and visits of the Parliamentarians to the leprosy colonies in Odisha and West Bengal to interact with the people affected by leprosy and understand their needs and concerns. It has also collaborated with National Human Rights Commission to spread awareness among school children. The year was also marked by a very special occasion: the visit by His Holiness The Dalai Lama to Tahirpur Leprosy colony in New Delhi. His Holiness offered words of comfort and encouragement to the people affected by leprosy. S-ILF will continue in its efforts assist people affected with leprosy to gain dignified living, to develop capacities of the youth and to spread awareness in different sections of society. Dr. S.K. Noordeen Chairman, S-ILF

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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The year 2013-2014 has been a year of exploration and expansion. S-ILF has now expanded its work to 17 states, with a total of 171 livelihood projects. The various trainings that we had developed are paying off. There is a visible improvement in the proposals that we have received for funding and in the acceptance of the processes for disbursement of funds. We are also developing different modules for trainings. These modules help not only in building business capabilities but also to increase the self-confidence of the people that they can move away from begging. Nursing scholarships have also gain popularity among the colonies. As anticipated, the knowledge that they could get the finances needed to pursue a nursing career has prompted girls to work hard for their Class 12 exams. We received a large number of queries and applications. Our scholarship holders are working hard and scoring well in their exams. Existing scholars have become role models for other girls in their colonies. The girls have become more confident and there is an increase in their self-esteem. We are also happy to collaborate with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for the skill development program to provide support to 350 youths from colonies of five states namely Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This program focuses on attaining sustainable livelihoods for drop-out and unemployed youths through skill development trainings. This year we received tremendous response from the Parliamentarians to the recently formed Forum of Parliamentarians to Free India of Leprosy. Till date, 51 Parliamentarians have joined the Forum. We also met with the Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar and the Hon’ble Vice President of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari and sought their blessings and support for this good initiative. This Forum cuts across all party lines and is formed with an objective to work for sensitising the government and general public about leprosy and situation of the people affected by leprosy. S-ILF is working closely to help coordinate the activities of the Forum. This year was also marked by a special occasion when His Holiness The Dalai Lama visited the Tahirpur Leprosy Complex to boost the morale of people affected by leprosy and their families and help overcome society’s prejudice against them. Through this visit, His Holiness gave out the message that there is no place for stigma against leprosy. We have had strong support from our partners in our efforts. The Association of People Affected by Leprosy has been generous in its support and cooperation and in helping us to reach out to remote colonies where little work is being done. SBI (The State Bank of India) has been generous in supporting not only our Raising to Dignity Awards and has also funded some of the nursing scholarships as has SDTT (Sir Dorabji Tata Trust). NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) has supported our programme of creating awareness about leprosy in government schools in the Delhi region. Even as we recount our successes we are conscious of the enormous tasks and challenges ahead especially as we move into new areas. With each successful initiative, the confidence of the community in us and our own confidence in being able to respond to their needs gets stronger. Dr. Vineeta Shanker Executive Director, S-ILF

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PROJECTS: CREATION OF SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS Sustainable development and growth is the stepping stone for economic empowerment. Empowerment builds the capacity of people to contribute successfully to the growth process. Due to stigma associated with the disease, the people affected by leprosy cannot readily access opportunities to improve their economic and social wellbeing. Low acceptance in society makes formal or informal wage based employment difficult to find. The need to depend on alms and donations for meeting their basic needs not only erodes their dignity but also their self-confidence, making transition into self-employment a risky and difficult proposition. Therefore, assistance for creating dignified and sustainable livelihoods must not only match skills and market needs but also include efforts in capacity and confidence building. S-ILF thus focuses on economic empowerment by not only providing financial assistance for sustainable livelihood generation but also invests in leadership and capacity building, technical project related trainings as well as providing mentorship support to the leprosy affected people in their efforts at self-employment. Continuing its effort to help the people affected by leprosy to get an opportunity to develop sustainable income earning activities in the FY 2013-2014, S-ILF approved funding of 27 new livelihood projects at Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Sabarkantha in Gujarat; Burdwan in West Bengal; Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and West Singhbum in Jharkhand ;Puri in Odisha ; Nawada and Patna in Bihar; Bellary, Gulbarga, and Bijapur in Karnataka; Ratnagiri in Maharashtra; Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu and East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. Taking into account the previously approved grants, S-ILF has a total of 171 approved projects reaching out to beneficiaries in 17 states across the country. This year too, the people from the colonies came forward with their ideas to develop different projects like Tailoring, Ready Garment Stitching, Manufacturing of Incense sticks , Mandap decorator & Mini Tent House (on rent), Cement block making , Processing of Spices and Packaging , Motor Bike service centre, Poultry farming, Dairy, Cow/Buffalo and Pig rearing , Rickshaw/ Thela ,Motorbike Repair ,Sil patthar & stone, Vegetable & Floriculture, Garment Production, Vehicle Parking, Centering activity, Fancy Store and Coconut Selling

Trainings For the success of the project it is important that the beneficiaries develop and take full ownership of the projects proposed by them. To equip them to develop proposals and handle the projects on their own, S-ILF conducts trainings at different stages of the project and continues to give them guidance as and when needed. TSEC (Training for Socio Economic Change): TSEC is the first training the colony people attend in the process of developing their livelihood projects. Its aim is to orient the people on the need for socio-economic change with primary focus on developing viable livelihood proposals. During these trainings they are informed of S-ILF's livelihood initiative and processes, provided training on tools for assessing viability of projects, checking market situation, marketing and budget making. At the end of the training, the participants are requested to share their learning’s with their colony members. Based on their training and the

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learning and after the discussion in their colonies; they develop a business proposal and send it to SILF within a month.

Participants working on their business plan at TSEC

In FY 2013-14, S-ILF conducted its 11th and 12th TSECs and trained 61 people. The 11th TSEC was conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Vanvasi Seva Kendra in the Bhabua district of Bihar for 33 participants from three different states namely; Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal. The 12th TSEC was conducted at Kolhapur in Maharashtra for 28 participants from six colonies in Maharashtra and four colonies in Karnataka.

Participants working on the business plan Group presentations by the beneficiaries

In the TSECs, the participants learnt different aspects of developing a business proposal like Market Research, Procurement and Purchase of materials, Costing, Prising, and Sales Projection through

Group Discussion and Role Playing

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class room sessions and through Focussed Group Discussions (FGD), SWOT analysis etc. The participants enthusiastically participated in the sessions. SOW (Stakeholders Orientation Workshop): The beneficiaries of the approved projects are given training on S-ILF’s funding mechanisms, financial management, roles & responsibilities, marketing etc. for the sustainability of the enterprise. They are also trained in livelihood & micro-entrepreneurship development and good practices. For better understanding they are taken for exposure visits as well.

Participants during the SOW workshop Business Plan development by the beneficiaries

Group work presentation by the beneficiaries Brainstorming on effective budget preparation

In the FY year 2013-14, S-ILF organised the 9th and 10th Stakeholders Orientation Workshop (SOW) for 84 participants. The 9th SOW was organised at two locations; one in Delhi for the approved projects from Gujarat and another in Asansol, West Bengal for the approved projects from Jharkhand and West Bengal.

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Presentation by a beneficiary Business Plan development by the beneficiaries

The 10th SOW was organised at two locations; one in Bijapur, Karnataka for the approved projects from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka and another in Bhabua, Bihar for the approved projects from Jharkhand and Bihar. One to one discussion and interactive sessions during the workshop enabled the beneficiaries to overcome the fear of speaking in the public, which was a way of building confidence. The beneficiaries also shared their learning’s during the training and registered their involvement in most all the activities. The beneficiaries showed keen interest especially in assignments which required greater level of involvement, focussed discussion and group activity such as – SWOT analysis, Prioritizing, Planning and Budget Development and Business Plan development.

Other workshops In November 2013, S-ILF organised a Workshop for assessing the socio –economic status of the tribal and leprosy affected tribal households of Jharkhand region at Ranchi, Jharkhand. NGOs working in Jharkhand with special focus on tribal livelihood were invited for the workshop. The participating NGO’s were Adarsh Path, JAGO Foundation, HREDS (Human Resource & Environment Development Society), SHARE (Social & Healthy Action for Rural Empowerment), SOLUTION, SPARSH, VIKALP, IDF (Integrated Development Foundation) and Netherlands Leprosy Relief Association (NLR).

The workshop was conducted with the objective to understand the socio-economic status of (A) Tribal household and (B) Leprosy affected tribal households, understand the level of stigma with leprosy, classify Gaps & Problems (if any) and develop an Action Plan to bridge the gap.

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Meetings State level meetings The State level meetings are organised with the objective of providing a platform for the beneficiaries of the enterprises to share their experiences, present success and conduct discussions to find viable solutions to the challenges faced by them in running their livelihood enterprises.

In FY 2013-2014, S-ILF organised State level meetings for eight colonies of Tamil Nadu and six colonies of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

State level meetings Micro Enterprise Development Leadership (MEDL) The Micro Enterprise Development Leadership (MEDL) meetings are organised with the objective of strengthening grassroots leadership in successful execution of livelihood activities. In these meeting, major emphasis is on Planning & Preparation, Internal dynamics, Concept of Self Help Groups (SHG), Shared Vision, Decision making & Capacity building, identification of available resources etc. through the group activity and participatory tools.

In FY 2013-2014, MEDL meetings were organised for five colonies of Chhattisgarh, three colonies of Akola and Amravati in Maharashtra, five colonies of Betiah in Bihar, three colonies of Deogarh in Jharkhand, four colonies of Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh and seven colonies of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. In these meetings, beneficiaries were motivated to develop their own plan of action on the basis of available resources and their capacities.

Large Project Activities Dhar, Jharkhand In FY 2013 -2014, S-ILF with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Dhar, Madhya Pradesh organised enterprise based five-day training for two colonies in Dhar, Anand Nagar colony & Raja Bhoj Kusht Ashram at KVK, Dhar. Around 61 people attended the training for worm composting, poultry production and management, dairy management, goat rearing, vegetable and flower production.

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The resource was drawn from KVK Dhar, KVK Indore, Fishery and Veterinary Department of Dhar district. During the training, exposure visits was organised in nearby villages for understanding good livelihood practices for vegetable cultivation and poultry farming. The participants interacted with other farmers and saw their techniques which helped them to understand the livelihood enterprises.

Partners Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL) {formerly known as ‘National Forum’}: Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL) continued to be our main partner. S-ILF worked closely with National & State level leaders relying on them to verify and motivate the leprosy affected people to undertake the initiatives of taking up livelihood projects with financial support from S-ILF as well as help in the monitoring of the project activities. Other Partners: This year too S-ILF worked with several local NGOs and individual consultants for the development and implementation of various livelihood projects. Our partner organisations are:

1. International Leprosy Union, Pune; 2. DHARAMITRA, Maharashtra; 3. PECSS (Priyanshi Education Cultural and Social Society), Madhya Pradesh; 4. VSK (Vanvasi Sewa Kendra), Bihar; 5. RISDT (Rural India Self Development Trust), Andhra Pradesh; 6. NPDO (Network of Persons with Disability Organisations), Andhra Pradesh; 7. Add- India, Tamil Nadu; 8. Bharat Sewa Sansthan, Uttar Pradesh; 9. Nirman Sewa Sansthan , Uttar Pradesh; 10. GRAVIS (Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti), Rajasthan. 11. Dhruvh Social Awareness Forum, Delhi; 12. Manav Kalyan Trust, Gujarat; 13. Shikshan& Samaj Kalyan Kendra, Gujarat; 14. Adarsh Path, Jharkhand; 15. Jago Foundation, Jharkhand; 16. NEEDS (Network for Enterprise Enhancement and Development Support), Jharkhand; 17. Prayas, Jharkhand; 18. SHARE (Social & Healthy Action for Rural Empowerment), Jharkhand; 19. Jankalyan, Karnataka; 20. POWER (People’s Organisation for Wasteland and Environment Regeneration), Karnataka; 21. MASS (Manav Adhikar Sewa Samiti), Odisha; 22. People’s Forum, Odisha; and 23. Ujjiban, West Bengal.

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EDUCATION The children from leprosy affected families are constrained from pursuing higher education due to their poor economic condition. Although, majority of the children from the colonies do go to some school, the lack of financial and physical opportunities to good schooling, results in high dropout rates and poorer education. S-ILF had started its Education programme to help the interested children at a chance for a better future through education. Recognizing a strong need for vocational training among the youth, S-ILF developed two programmes- Nursing Training and Skills to Employment Programme (STEP-UP). These programmes are aimed at providing the necessary training and skills to the youth that guarantee employment and S-ILF helped in identifying and providing the required financial support.

Nursing Scholarship Programme: Under its Nursing Scholarship Programme, in January 2013, SILF announced 10 new scholarships for academic year 2013-14. This scholarship is offered to interested students who are able to obtain admissions in reputed and recognized Govt. nursing colleges or credible private nursing institutes approved by the Indian Nursing Council. The scholarship is offered for B.Sc. (Basic Nursing)/ General Nursing & Midwifery (GNM) course in nursing. In addition to 10 scholarships, SILF was successful in getting admission of one of the applicant in SOS Nursing School, Faridabad for pursuing Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) course for 18 months. Presently SILF is running third batch for 25 girls from leprosy affected families and are availing scholarship for Degree & Diploma in Nursing with support from two donors- The State Bank of India (SBI) & Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT). SBI is sponsoring 10 girls & SDTT is sponsoring 15. These girls are being supported for four years nursing programme. In addition to their academic & tuition fees, the scholars are provided monthly stipend of Rs. 1000. Two of the 25 nursing scholars, Miss Megha Shinde and Miss Sonali Maruti Lad attended the Anti – Leprosy function on 30th January, 2014. At the function, they spoke briefly of how this opportunity had transformed their lives and how they aspired contribute to society in the future. Existing scholars have become role models for other girls in their colonies. The girls have become more confident and there is an increase in their self-esteem. The program has become quite popular in colonies.

Figure 1 Two Nursing scholars who had attended S-ILF’s Anti – Leprosy day function on 30th January, 2014, with the dignitaries

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Skills to Employment Programme (STEP-UP): S-ILF under its STEP-UP Programme aims to encourage youth of leprosy communities to obtain skills required for sustainable employment. Trainings are conducted for skill enhancement of youth living in self-settled colonies in India so that they can be mainstreamed in the organised sector. The trainings are based on market needs. To ensure that this training results in gainful employment, S-ILF includes motivational and career counselling as an essential part of assistance given to the selected candidates. Partnership with NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation): In FY 2013-2014, a grant for Skill Development of youth from leprosy affected families in five states- Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra was approved by NSDC. This program focuses on skill development of youth from leprosy colonies to obtain sustainable livelihood. This project aims to skill 350 youths from 100 colonies in the above mentioned five states. In 2013, Skill Development Training on Construction, Hospitality, Retail and Bedside Assistance was initiated in Maharashtra, Hospitality in Madhya Pradesh and Welding in Orissa. Drop out youth in the age bracket of 18-27 years from leprosy affected families are the beneficiaries of the trainings.

S-ILF has collaborated with reputed training organisations for mobilisation, screening, counselling, training and placement of the trainees. The training organisations are- Pratham Education Foundation, Maharashtra, Gram Tarang, Odisha and AISECT (All India School of Electronics and Computer Training). Sensitization & Orientation Workshop: A Sensitization & Orientation workshop was conducted in Lucknow in September, 2013 for training partners who would skill youth from leprosy colonies, the State and colony leaders who would motivate youth for these trainings. The workshop was attended by 24 representatives from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Four training organisations – Britti, Kolkata; Kherwadi, Maharashtra; Gram Tarang, Odisha and Pratham, Maharashtra also attended the workshop.

Figure 4 Construction training

Figure 2 Mobilisation of youth by training partner

Figure 3 Bedside assistance training

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Orientation & Sensitisation Programmes

The objective of sensitization program was to remove myths and misconceptions around leprosy as a disease. The workshop provided an opportunity for the training organisations to know the aspirations of the youth from the leprosy colonies through expertise and experience of state/colony leaders. The objective of the orientation workshop was to enlist the support of state & local leaders to create awareness and convince the colony people/ youth about the benefit of skill development and provide a platform to training partners to meet and interact directly with leaders of leprosy colonies and states. Another, Sensitization & Orientation workshop was conducted in Odisha in September, 2013 which was attended by 13 colony leaders of Odisha and two training organisations – Britti, Kolkata and Gram Tarang, Odisha.

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COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS BUILDING Though easily treatable leprosy still strikes fear in the societies. Lack of knowledge about the disease and prevalence of misinformation and misconceptions for many-many years have resulted in the stigma against it. To tackle the discrimination faced by the people affected by leprosy it is important to eradicate social stigma against it. While capacity building and financial assistance help in building confidence and eradicating self-stigma, concerted efforts have to be made to eradicate social stigma by changing mind-sets in society through awareness generation and advocacy. To tackle this problem S-ILF has developed a multi-faceted approach in its awareness building, communications and advocacy activities and reaches out to people in all walks of life like-educational institutions, media, politicians and parliamentarians, lawyers and social activists, government institutions and employers as well as corporate houses. S-ILF engages in advocacy to provide a legal and institutional framework that in no way discriminates against the rights of the leprosy affected as equal citizens of the country, to ensure that any violation of the rights of the leprosy affected is treated as a human rights issue, to set in place mechanisms of redress of grievances and punitive action and above all to demonstrate through successes of those who have struggled against all odds, that change is not only desirable but feasible too.

Advocacy and Awareness building

1. Forum of Parliamentarians to Free India of Leprosy:

The Forum of Parliamentarians to Free India of Leprosy is formed by like-minded Parliamentarians cutting across party lines, with support from S-ILF. The formation of the Forum was announced during the International Symposium organised on 3rd-4th October, 2012 by Shri Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament; Smt. D. Purandeswari, Former Union Minister of State for HRD; and Mr. Madhu Gaud Yaskhi, Member of Parliament. The Forum is committed to work towards a leprosy free India and the members will offer their good offices and influence in the legislature to raise awareness about leprosy and bring about changes that would ensure the basic human rights of the leprosy affected. Through the Forum, the members will work to include leprosy affected in the existing government welfare schemes as well as create awareness and acceptability of leprosy affected people at the National, State as well as local levels. The Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar and the Hon’ble Vice President of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari has extended their blessings and support for this good initiative. Till date, 51 Parliamentarians have joined the Forum. a. Meetings:

In FY 2013-2014, S-ILF organised three meetings of the Forum to discuss how to take forward the objective of the Forum.

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Meetings of the Forum

Parliamentarians -Mr. Dinesh Trivedi; Mr. Madhu Goud Yashki; Mr. Ijayraj Singh, Mr. Anurag Singh Thakur from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh ; Ms. Anu Aga, Mr. Ram Naik ,former MP, Maharashtra and current Chairman, International Leprosy Union, Mr. Vijay Bahadur Singh, from Hamirpur ,Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Vijayendra Pal Singh Badnore, from Bhilwara, Rajasthan ; Mr. Avinash Pande from Nagpur, Maharashtra, Mr. R. C. Khuntia from Jajpur,Odisha; Ms. Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bhatinda, Punjab attended these meetings and extended support for the good cause. The third meeting of the Forum was organised at Mr. Dinesh Trivedi’s residence for an interactive session with Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Leprosy and Chairman of The Nippon Foundation with all the members of the Forum and other Parliamentarians who had extended support to the Forum. Shri Porika Balram Naik, Hon'ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Parliamentarians - Ms. Anu Aga, Mr. Vijayendra Pal Singh, Mr. Hamdullah Sayeed, Ms. Shruti Choudhary, Mr. Vijay Bahadur Singh, Mr. Baijayant Jay Panda, Mr. Jayant Chaudhary, Ms. Agatha K. Sangma, Mr. Rajaiah Sircilla, Shri Sukender Reddy Gutha, Dr.Gadam Vivekanand, Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar and Mr. Ram Naik, President, ILU and former Petroleum Minister along with Mr. Dinesh Trivedi and Mr. Madhu Goud Yaskhi attended the meeting. b. Visits c.

In FY 2013 -2014, S-ILF organised two visits to leprosy colonies in Odisha and West Bengal for Parliamentarians to enable them to interact with the people affected by leprosy and address their issues and concerns. Puri, Odisha Shri Baijayant Panda, MP visited the Jibaramjipalli colony in Puri, Odisha and met the State and Colony leaders who shared with him their concerns. He also visited the SILF supported Coir and Dairy Project and. He agreed to help this project to upgrade by giving doormat machines for the Coir Rope project. On receiving the price quotations Shri Panda had graciously agreed to personally bear the costs of the doormat machines.

Mr. Baijayant Jay Panda, MP, Odisha addressing the people in Puri colony

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Asansol, West Bengal Shri Dinesh Trivedi along with Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Elimination of Leprosy & Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Japan, visited the self-settled leprosy colonies in Asansol in Burdwan district, West Bengal.

Mr. Dinesh Trivedi’s visit to the leprosy colonies in Asansol, West Bengal along with Mr. Yohei Sasakawa ,the Mayor of Asansol and the State Agricultural Minister.

Supporting the cause, the Mayor of Asansol, Mr. Tapas Banerjee and Mr. Malay Ghatak, Agricultural Minister and MLA, also accompanied Mr. Sasakawa and Shri Dinesh Trivedi for the visit. Mr. A.K Puri, Assistant Director General (Leprosy Branch), Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Dr. Pradip Kumar Mandal, Jt, DHS & State Leprosy Officer, Dept. of Health Services (Leprosy Branch) & other local health officials were also present during the visit. Media was also present for creating more awareness about leprosy.

Joint Press Conference of Mr. Dinesh Trivedi and Mr. Sasakawa

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A Joint Press Conference of Mr. Sasakawa and Mr. Dinesh Trivedi was organised at Kolkata to create awareness on leprosy, about the Forum and its good initiative. 2. Young Partner’s Program (YPP):

In its effort to spread awareness about leprosy among different sections of the society, S-ILF in collaboration with NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) has launched Young Partners Programme (YPP) an Awareness Program on Leprosy in government schools for young children from classes 7 to 9 to sensitise them to the issue of discrimination. During the first phase of the sensitisation program for the Principals and teachers of 24 government schools in 3 districts namely-central, south and southwest, were invited for a workshop on Leprosy in Modern Times - Understanding Leprosy and Our Attitude under our Young Partners Program (YPP) at NHRC. In the second phase of the program S-ILF conducted sensitisation sessions in 20 government schools with students from Classes 7 - 9 to make them aware of myths related to leprosy and discrimination associated with it. The students were shown a documentary on leprosy and made to do role-plays for them to understand the stigma faced by leprosy affected people. A poster competition was conducted on the theme of leprosy and how it can be tackled.

a. Young Ambassador’s Award

Young Ambassador Award is a part of the ‘Young Partners Programme’, an initiative to sensitise children in government schools about leprosy thereby positively impacting the future by addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by the leprosy affected people. In FY 2013-2014 S-ILF in collaboration with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) held the first ever Young Ambassadors Award ceremony in October at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. The awards were presented by Mr. Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to leprosy awareness posters created by children from 10 government schools. Ms. Syeda Imam, Former Member, National Commission for Minorities and representatives of National Human Rights Commission were also present at the function.

The awardees were from Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Kalkaji and Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Lajpat Nagar.

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A play titled ‘Jagriti’ (‘Awareness’) on the theme of Leprosy and stigma was also staged by Delhi based theatre group Sahaj Kala Manch. The play was directed by Mr. Mohan (Goldy) Rawat, a well-known theatre and mime artist. 3. Anti-Leprosy Day:

In FY 2013-2014, S-ILF organised the 4th Rising to Dignity Awards on the occasion of Anti Leprosy Day. The Hon’ble Ambassador of Japan to India, His Excellency Mr. Takeshi Yagi was the Chief Guest. Other dignitaries included Mr. Madhu Goud Yaskhi, MP and convenor of the Forum of Parliamentarians to Free India of Leprosy, Mrs. Syeda Imam, Former Member, National Commission for Minorities, Mr. Kochher, Joint Secretary (Training & Research) National Human Rights Commission 9NHRC) and Mr. V. S. Ohri, General Manager, The State Bank of India. These awards were presented to leprosy affected people who had successfully given up begging to start micro enterprises with the help of S-ILF. More than 200 people including leprosy affected people from colonies in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh as well as school children from ten government schools, academics, bureaucrats, social workers and media people attended the function.

Winners of 4th Rising to Dignity Awards with dignitaries

The recipients of SILF’s 4th Rising to Dignity awards were from leprosy colonies in Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Sponsored by the State Bank of India, the award comprised a citation and a cheque of Rs 1 Lakh.

Young Ambassador Award winners Chhau Dance performance by SPARSH

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At the function, the Young Ambassadors Award were presented by Mr. J.S. Kocher and Ms. Syeda Imam, to the three best leprosy awareness posters created by children from ten government schools. The awardees were from Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Andrews Ganj and Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Sadiq Nagar. Another highlight of the function was the Chhau Dance performance by SPARSH an NGO from Jharkhand, which has been using this art form to raise awareness about the disease and its treatment as well as against the stigma meted out to leprosy affected people.

4. Rising to Dignity Awards

Given the disadvantaged circumstances of the colonies where the Leprosy affected people live in and the societal attitudes that they have to contend with, making a success of their micro enterprises needs a lot of effort and struggle on the part of the project participants. This success, achieved through sheer grit and determination, needs to be recognized and showcased so that it serves as a source of pride and motivation to the leprosy community and also sends a strong message to the outside world that access to opportunity can help the leprosy affected regain their dignity. S-ILF thus instituted the Rising to Dignity Awards to recognise the hard work and commitment by those running Livelihood enterprises. Each Award carries a citation and a cheque of Rs 1, 00,000. The size of the group varies from 6 to 12 people. For the Rising to Dignity Awards 2014, the prize money was granted by The State Bank of India. About the Awardees of 4th Rising to Dignity Awards, 2014: A. NAME- Pig Rearing project COLONY - Teesrapara LOCATION- Champa STATE- Chattisgarh NO. OF BENEFICIARIES- 15 women MENTOR –Vandana Goswami This is an all-women’s project involving 15 women beneficiaries and involves raising pigs for meat. In 2011, SILF provided financial support to the beneficiaries for construction of a shed and purchase of six pigs. Prior to starting this enterprise the beneficiaries were dependant on begging and casual wage labour for their living. In this period of two years or so, the beneficiaries have been able to rear and sell many batches of piglets. This has enabled them to earn good profits and improve their standard of living. Today they have nine pigs and 18 piglets. Their journey has not been without difficulties. Initially, as they had no prior experience in rearing pigs, they faced many difficulties. Lack of experience and knowledge led to losses and there were

Beneficiaries of the pig rearing project

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times when in the early months they were ready to give up. However, with the help of SILF the mentor and the colony leader they were given assistance in dealing with the challenges of marketing, training on how to raise pigs etc. and persuaded to persist. Today the project is very successful and its success is measured not only in terms of the increase in household income that it has generated but in the broader impact that involvement in this activity has had. The women beneficiaries are more confident and able to deal with outsiders – something they were not able to do at all before they took on this activity. The project has also brought them together to work collectively, thereby increasing the trust and bond between them. On their own have started SHG to which they began by contributing Rs 10 each. With improved earnings this contribution has increased and they now have a saving of Rs 1, 50,000 with which they have started giving loans to members to meet their contingency financial needs for marriages, deaths, illnesses and children’s education. The financial stability provided by the project has improved the stature of the women in their households and in the colonies. They are respected for their hard work and have become a role model for others. B. NAME- Poultry Farming COLONY- New Life Welfare Association colony LOCATION- Dharmapuri STATE- Tamil Nadu NO. OF BENEFICIARIES- 8 MENTOR -Action for Disabled and Depressed in India Eight members from the New Life Welfare Association (colony) applied for and received financial assistance for poultry farming. The project started in March 2012. The activity involves raising chicks for the market. One day old chicks are bought from the market and bred for 21-22 days and resold when they gain weight of approximately 250 grams. The beneficiaries have made a success of this initiative despite initial setbacks. What is even more remarkable is that although most of them are middle aged they have shown great enthusiasm for the project and have worked very hard for its success. Despite some setbacks such as bird flu they have been able to raise eight batches of 2000 chicks each and generate a profit of Rs. 1, 49,088. Also within a year they have doubled the capacity of their business to 4000 chicks per batch. The role of the mentor has been instrumental in the success of the enterprise. He has assisted them in identifying the market for purchase and sale of chicks and in negotiating the best prices for the same. It is with the help of the mentor that they have been able to work out a market strategy for the coming months and develop a plan on reducing the time between the batches. Apart from the financial success the beneficiaries have been able to integrate into the society. They share a good rapport with the buyers and sellers and the buyers visit the colony to buy the chicks. This increased social acceptance has raised their self-esteem and self-confidence and is a great

Beneficiaries of Poultry farming

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source of motivation to ensure the success of the enterprise. With everyone having a say in decision making, there is shared interest among members for collaborative team work. C. NAME- Agriculture Enterprise COLONY- Shri Ram Avtar Kusht Dham LOCATION- Alwasa STATE-Madhya Pradesh NO. OF BENEFICIARIES-15 MENTOR - Priyanshi Educational, Cultural and social society (PECSS) In April 2011, SILF provided financial and technical assistance to fifteen members of Sri Ram Avtar Kusth Dham Colony, Madhya Pradesh to better cultivate their approximately 15 acres of land, a large part of which had been lying idle for want of funds. The money was used to dig a bore well and to prepare the land which had been barren for several years. SILF arranged for an agricultural scientist to provide training and technical knowhow to enable them to cultivate crops such as chana, soya bean and wheat on rotation and in a scientific manner with the use of adequate and timely inputs. As most members of this colony are middle aged and unable to take on hard physical work due to leprosy, they invited youths from other colonies to come and settle there. An interesting feature of this project is that it is led by a woman and it is under her leadership that the colony members decided to become self-reliant by making use of the land. She has been instrumental in motivating the beneficiaries to persist despite initial hurdles such as crop failure or excessive rains and to take the out of box decision to invite outsiders to settle in the colony. Today each beneficiary gets a daily wage for the days that they work on the land. Gradually they have also dispensed with depending on hired labour for tilling and harvesting and now hire machines for the same. The marketing is now done by the beneficiaries themselves and mostly sell their produce in Indore after keeping what they need for their own consumption. There is a strong sense of ownership among the beneficiaries and they have been very judicious in spending the financial assistance they received.

5. Yellow Ribbon Campaign

Yellow Ribbon is a symbol of support to end discrimination against the people affected with Leprosy. By wearing a Yellow Ribbon one pledges to become the brand ambassador for Leprosy. The Yellow Ribbon is to be taken forward to all the schools, corporate, government institutions, doctors, affected people, NGOs, groups, Parliamentarians SILF is working with. In FY 2013 -2014, the campaign was taken to 20 government schools (around 2000 students). The campaign was also taken to the Members of Forum of Parliamentarians to Free India of Leprosy. The campaign was taken to all the other Colleges and Institutes SILF has conducted the awareness sessions during the year.

Beneficiaries of Agriculture Enterprise

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6. Collaboration with Educational Institutions

In FY 2013 -2014, S-ILF had conducted an awareness session at School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL). Three students from SOIL had joined S-ILF as interns for the entire year. S-ILF had also made presentations at Indian Institute for Mass Communications (IIMC). Three groups of students from IIMC will be developing a media campaign for S-ILF. An awareness session was also conducted with the students of Xavier Institute for Mass Communication in Mumbai. 7. Other Events

a. His Holiness The Dalai Lama visits the leprosy complex at Tahirpur, New Delhi

His Holiness The Dalai Lama visited the Tahirpur Leprosy Complex on 20th March, 2014 to cast light on leprosy -- a neglected disease, which still strikes fear in the societies though it has been proved medically that leprosy is not hereditary and is completely curable. The purpose of the visit was to boost the morale of people affected by leprosy and their families and help overcome society’s prejudice against them. Through this visit, His Holiness gave out the message that there is no place for stigma against leprosy.

He spoke against the discrimination against the leprosy afflicted and the ways to eradicate it. He pledged his help and promised to donate Rs 10 lakh for the welfare of the residents of the leprosy colonies. Over the next five years, royalties received by the trust from the sale of the books written by His Holiness will be donated for the welfare activities.

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b. African Regional Symposium, Adis Ababa

On 18th September, 2013 Dr. Vineeta Shanker, Executive Director, S-ILF attended the African Regional Symposium on Leprosy and Human Rights at Adis Ababa. The symposium was jointly hosted by The Nippon Foundation and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health where representatives of governments, international organizations, NGOs, organizations of people affected by leprosy and human rights experts were present. The purpose of the Symposium was to raise awareness of the U. N. resolution adopted in 2010 on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their families and to promote the implementation of its accompanying principles and guidelines. c. International Leprosy Summit, Bangkok, Thailand

Dr. Vineeta Shanker, Executive Director, S-ILF attended the International Leprosy Summit: Overcoming the Remaining Challenges, organised by The World Health Organization (WHO) and The Nippon Foundation in Bangkok, Thailand from 24th -26th July, 2013. The purpose of the Summit was to reaffirm political commitment towards a leprosy free world and to plan strategic measures to reduce disease burden from endemic pockets and sub – national level.

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Our Bankers:

The Oriental Bank of Commerce

The HDFC Bank

The State Bank of India

The IDBI Bank

Our Board

Chairman

Dr. S.K. Noordeen, Chairman, Leprosy Elimination Alliance (LEA) and Former Director

(Leprosy), WHO, Geneva

Members

Mr. Tarun Das, Former Chief Mentor, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Ms. Syeda Imam, Former Member, National Commission for Minorities

Mr. Tatsuya Tanami, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation, Japan

Ms. K. Yamaguchi, Director, Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation, Japan

Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha, Retired IAS, Former Director General Fashion Design Council of India

Advisory Members

Dr. Derek Lobo

Dr. Ranjit Roy Choudhary

Mr. Rajesh Srivastava

Committees

Livelihood Project Selection

Dr. S.K. Noordeen : Chairman

Dr. P.K. Gopal : Member

Dr. Vineeta Shanker : Member

Finance

Mr. Rajesh Srivastava : Member

Ms. Rathi Vinay Jha : Member

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Our Team Executive Director

Dr. Vineeta Shanker

Livelihood Programme

Mr. Sanjeev Kumar : Project Manager

Ms. Rituparna Sarangi : Project Officer

Mr. Atul Kumar : Project Officer

Ms. Ruth Paul1 : Project Officer

Ms. Yogita D Parkale : Project Associate

Mr. Khalid Sarfuddin2 : Project Associate

Mr. Nutan Kumar Sogoria3 : Project Associate

Education Work Programme

Ms. Payal Gadhiok : Consultant

Mr. Tanzeel Ur Rahman4 : Project Officer

Communication & Advocacy

Ms. Nilima Monica Purti : Project Officer

Ms. Rituparna Das : Project Officer

Administration & Finance

Mr. Ram Autar : Admin & Accounts Officer

Ms. Rajni Sharma : Consultant

Mr. Ganesh Prasad Dhuria : Office Attendant

Mr. Raj Kumar Masih : Driver

1 Left on April 30, 2013 2 Joined on June 3, 2013 3 Joined on June 3, 2013 4 Joined on June 11, 2013