The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Organisations (ILEP) currently has 14 members from 12 countries. It coordinates the members’ leprosy relief projects at the following levels:
Financial coordination
Duplications are avoided and resources can be employed more efficiently. Members can combine their strengths and carry out important initiatives jointly, especially in the fields of research, teaching and learning materials and training.
Operational cooperation
In the endemic countries, one member is responsible for coordination, information flow and collaboration with all those involved in the fight against leprosy. In this way, governments have a single contact partner for leprosy initiatives and projects.
Information exchange
Over the course of the years, the ILEP has established a flow of information that enables it to present the latest data on leprosy projects, as well as important indicators and the input of funds into the projects in a clear and transparent manner. This means that members are able to identify global trends and uncover gaps in the provision of aid.
The ILEP’s Technical Committee supports members in medical and social matters as well as in research. The exchange of information on a co-operative basis enables members to improve the quality of their work.
Partnership
The ILEP works in conjunction with the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), an Indian patients rights organisation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as the governments of the affected countries.
The ILEP member organisations support projects in 80 countries to the amount of more than 60 million Euro, of which 47% goes to Asia, principally India, and 42% to Africa. 4% of the funds are expended on research.
René Stäheli, our Managing Director, is the current ILEP President.
ILEP came about from the need of leprosy relief organisations to co-ordinate their activities. Its aim is to avoid overlapping and duplication of efforts, thereby employing resources more efficiently and reaching more patients. By exchanging information, the member organisations are also able to keep their knowledge on combating leprosy up to date.
The oldest-established leprosy aid organisation has been operating since 1874, others came into being in the first half of the 20th century. The majority were founded after the Second World War, as was our organisation (1959). The Belgian Pierre Van den Wijngaert and the French journalist Raoul Follereau were the driving forces behind the foundation of a European federation of leprosy relief organisations. The inaugural meeting was held on 25 September 1966 in the National Council Chamber of the Swiss Federal Parliament Building in Berne, on the basis of articles of association drawn up by Marcel Farine, our co-founder. Marcel Farine served as the founding President of the ILEP.
With the admission of American and Canadian leprosy aid organisations, it grew from a European to an international organisation, which has remained to the present day.
Links to the internet pages of our most important ILEP partners can be found here:
Links