1959
Members of "Friends of Emmaus Berne" decide to take some action against leprosy and for the persons afflicted by it. In the spirit of the motto "Serve those most in need", the national committee for Lepers is conceived.
1960
As a branch of the Swiss Emmaus Association and a little later as independent institution, Leprosy Relief starts its activities under its first President, Marcel Farine. Ways and means are found for providing direct relief, which is meaningful in the long run, irrespective of social, ethnic and religious affiliation.
First supports go to projects in Cameroon, India and Tanganyika.
1962
The worldwide relief initiative grows fast. Already, over 300 projects are being supported.
1964
Sixty leprosy stations in 28 countries receive funds to the extent of 1.4 million Franks. Particularly significant are the own projects in the sixties with Swiss nurses, therapists, volunteers and doctors like Dr. K. Winsch, Dr. C. Heinz, Dr. N. Zwicky, Dr. U. Jaggi or Dr. R. Hehl, out of whom a few contributed decisively to the formation of well-known leprosy centres.
1965
First issue of the bulletin with the later title "A Heart for Leprosy Patients", which is despatched five times a year even today.
1966
Leprosy Relief belongs to the founding members of the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP).
The inaugural meeting takes place in the council hall of the National Council of Switzerland in Berne. First president of the ILEP is Marcel Farine. He is also the autor of the bylaws.
Taking on of ILEP coordination in Morocco.
1968
Taking on of ILEP coordination in Turkey.
1974
Taking on of ILEP coordination in Cameroon and in the Central African Republic.
1975
With the affiliation of members from the American and Pacific areas, ILEP grows into a worldwide organisation supporting over 900 projects. Taking on of ILEP coordination in Sri Lanka.
1976
Construction of the Emmaus leprosy hospital in the South Indian city of Hubli under the direction of Dr. V.P. Macaden. Opening of the Regional Office for India and Sri Lanka in the South Indian city of Chennai (Madras), which is shared with GLRA, the German Leprosy and TB Relief Association.
1977
In Palamaner in the Indian federal state of Andhra Pradesh, the Emmaus Leprosy Centre is opened under the direction of Dr. J.W. Jacob, an Indian doctor.
1980
Opening of the regional office for Equatorial Africa in Yaoundé (Cameroon).
1984
With the introduction of the effective multi-drug-therapy leprosy can finally be cured. The new strategy of active case-finding starts.
1989
Marcel Farine hands over the presidency of Leprosy Relief to Walter Rosenfeld after 30 years in office.
1991
The 44th World Health Assembly of WHO passes the “Resolution on the Elimination of Leprosy as Endemic Disease” until the year 2000.
1995
Rolf Lehmann relieves Walter Rosenfeld as president.
1997
Taking on of ILEP coordination in Karnataka State, India.
1999
The strategy of WHO focuses on integrating the treatment of leprosy into the structures of the public health system. Active case-finding is abolished. Health services are supported and trained in taking care of leprosy.
René Stäheli is the new director.
2000
Change of name from "ALES Aussätzigenhilfe Emmaus Schweiz" to " Leprosy Relief Emmaus Switzerland".
2001
The first Buruli ulcer project is launched In Cameroon.
2002
Systematic diversification of the illnesses treated in our Indian hospitals.
2006
We receive the ISO 9001:2000 label and the NPO label on Management Excellence.
2007
The new vision statement sets the intersection of health issues and poverty as the new area of focus for our activies. First projects with this focus are started in Cameroon and India.
2009
50th anniversary and change of name: Leprosy Relief Emmaus Switzerland becomes FAIRMED (more information in German or French).
Further information on our local projects can be found here:
Projects in Asia
Projects in Africa
Read the most recent overview of the history of FAIRMED in the 50th anniversay edition of our magazine in German or French (pdf, 2MB).
The first years
By Marcel Farine (Extract from the brochure: 40 Years of Leprosy Relief)
It was towards the end of the year 1959. We, a few fellows from the group "Friends of Emmaus Berne", decided at that time to transcend the borders of Switzerland with our relief projects after we had healed the worst suffering of our neediest fellow men in Berne. We wanted to fight the suffering in the Third World, which was far more drastic and acute than here at our doorsteps and which was costing millions of people their lives.
(...) We decided to become active and to set-up a committee and a campaign for them. We distributed a simple leaflet in the letterboxes of the city, in order to draw the attention of the population to the suffering of the then approx. 12 million leprosy patients worldwide. The campaign was a success. (...) It was now a question of setting up an efficient organisation, which would enable the funds to be used correctly. Furthermore, volunteers had to be found, who were not merely driven by human kindness but also possessed a well-founded humane and technical knowledge. (...)
(...) That alone was not sufficient. We had to go to the countries afflicted by the epidemic disease, in order to get to know leprosy itself and then all the imponderables associated with local relief work. (...)
A young apprentice started working in our modest secretariat, which soon had four employees. The budget meanwhile rose within a short period of time from an annual 350,000 to five million Franks. Four projects increased to hundred. (...) A small Berne Society had grown into an international organisation, which was recognized by all other large private leprosy relief organisations, even WHO. In the course of the thirty years of my commitment to the relief of leprosy patients, there were major changes to which we, the personnel here in Switzerland as well as in the leprosy territories, had to react continually, since there were significant transformations during this period in the developing countries themselves in the fight against leprosy. The isolation pavilions and leprosy villages, in which the patients lived continuously, were abolished in favour of an ambulant treatment, so that the patients were no more treated as outcasts, but were taken care of as normal and respected people. (...)
