World Leprosy Day
The World Leprosy Day is an international commemoration and action, which is annually celebrated on the last Sunday in January.
history
World Leprosy Day was introduced in 1954 by the French Raoul Follereau , "Apostle of Lepers". He wanted to draw attention to the plight of those affected. At that time the WHO counted around 15 million lepers worldwide, a cure was not possible.
Today, leprosy is curable in its early stages, but it is still not eradicated. Over 200,000 people develop it every year. The importance of World Leprosy Day is therefore still relevant and is now a permanent fixture in around 130 countries around the world.
activities
Numerous religious and secular organizations around the world get involved on this day to raise awareness of leprosy, to collect donations and to help those affected. In Germany, the German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Aid eV (DAHW) is calling for support.
date
Raoul Follereau chose the last Sunday in January to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi , who, among other things, worked for lepers.
Web links
- www.dahw.de Website of the German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Aid eV
Individual evidence
- ↑ www.kalenderlexikon.de World Leprosy Day, accessed on February 24, 2014
- ↑ www.leprastiftung.at accessed on February 24, 2014
- ↑ www.rp-online.de Leprosy Aid now actively accessed in Neuss on February 24, 2014
- ↑ www.dahw.de accessed on February 24, 2014