Despite the obstacles she encountered, she continued her education with determination and courage. Rupali has been part of ALO Society’s Education for Empowerment Project since its very beginning. Through the project, she has received financial support to continue her own education while also taking on a responsibility to support children in her community.Today, Rupali teaches 12 primary-level students through her coaching sessions. She approaches her teaching with genuine passion and a strong sense of responsibility. For her, teaching is more than simply helping children with their lessons—it is an opportunity to share what she has learned and contribute to the future of children who may face challenges similar to those she has experienced.

Her dedication has not gone unnoticed. Last year, Rupali received the Best Sponsor Student Award in the Sylhet Region, recognizing her commitment to both her own education and the children she supports.Currently, Rupali is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS), second year. She has a clear ambition for her future: she wants to become a teacher. The Education for Empowerment Project has played an important role in helping Rupali continue her education. But her story goes beyond receiving support. She has transformed that opportunity into a responsibility to support others.

Rupali’s journey reflects the spirit of the Education for Empowerment Project: when one student receives an opportunity, that opportunity can reach many more. By continuing her education and sharing her knowledge with children in her community, Rupali is not only changing her own future—she is helping create new possibilities for others. Her story is a reminder that empowerment does not end with receiving support. It grows when people are given the opportunity to learn, believe in themselves, and give back to their communities. And Rupali is doing exactly that.

Bangladesh’s education system spans primary, secondary, higher secondary, and tertiary levels. Despite efforts to improve access and quality, dropout rates persist as a significant challenge. Primary dropout rates stand at 13.95% and higher secondary dropout rates reach 37.6%, according to the 2022 Bangladesh census and the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), respectively. Poverty, limited access to schools in rural areas, and societal norms, especially regarding gender roles, contribute to these dropout rates. Moreover, the stigma surrounding leprosy exacerbates vulnerabilities, hindering affected families’ ability to support their children’s education.

In response to these challenges, the Advancing Leprosy and Disadvantaged Peoples Opportunities (ALO) Society initiated the “Education for Empowerment Project,” supported by the Sasakawa Health Foundation (SHF) and with technical expertise from The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B). This project aims to empower individuals affected by leprosy and their communities through education.

Operating across seven districts, the project takes a holistic approach to community empowerment by addressing various needs. By prioritizing education, the ALO Society aims to uplift individuals and break the cycle of poverty and stigma. Through collaborative efforts, the project stands as a beacon of hope, offering a novel approach to community development.

In a complex socioeconomic landscape, targeted interventions are crucial. The Education for Empowerment Project seeks to bridge gaps in access and quality, providing a lifeline to marginalized individuals affected by poverty and leprosy stigma. Through innovative approaches and collaborative efforts, the ALO Society and its partners pave the way for a brighter and more inclusive future.

The project supports 100 students (37 male, 63 female) from vulnerable families affected by leprosy to pursue higher education. Sponsored students, in turn, provide free coaching services to 498 primary and high school students as well as non-formal education to 210 adult members of leprosy people’s organizations. The project also offers training in leprosy case identification and teaching methods to sponsored students, enabling them to learn and disseminate this knowledge to others. Education materials were provided to adult learners and sponsored students to facilitate coaching setups. This active participation model has resulted in enhanced educational achievements and increased community engagement.

Despite challenges such as adapting to evolving teaching methods and political disruptions, the project has shown resilience. It has already shown significant impact and is changing mindsets within the community. Looking ahead, the project aims to expand its reach and impact by deepening community engagement, strengthening educational support systems, and advocating for sustainable change. 

The Education for Empowerment project demonstrates the transformative potential of education to uplift marginalized communities and the ALO Society’s commitment to supporting the community in ways that result in lasting change.

Source: https://sasakawaleprosyinitiative.org/latest-updates/initiative-news/5072

“I suffered social exclusion, stigma and discrimination. It was harrowing. I went into depression and lost the will to liv

At the age of 24, Rachna Kumari was diagnosed with one of the world’s most stigmatised diseases, leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease.

Her life took another cruel turn when not long after her diagnosis, her husband passed away. She was shunned by his family, and forced to live almost in isolation from relatives and from the community.

For fear of infecting her two children, she left them with her parents to seek work in a bigger city.

After eight years, Rachna was finally cured. But her battle with the disease was emotionally and physically traumatising, not dissimilar to the stories of thousands of others.

Rachna is from India, where the number of cases is the highest in the world. In 2017, around 126,000 new cases were reported in the country.

“I suffered social exclusion, stigma and discrimination. It was harrowing. I went into depression and lost the will to live.”

Leprosy is a chronic disease which mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes. It is transmitted by droplets from the nose and mouth, through close and frequent contact with untreated cases. Symptoms can occur with one year, but can also take as long as 20 years or more to appear. Most people are naturally immune to the disease.

Around the world, there are an estimated 200,000 people diagnosed with leprosy each year. The majority of cases occur in India, Brazil and Indonesia.

Leprosy: A history of stigma, dehumanisation and violations of human rights

When leprosy was first discovered in the late nineteenth century, fear of the disease spreading led several governments around the world to establish leprosaria (leprosy colonies). Many of them implemented an official State policy of segregation. People were separated from families and communities for life, and healthy newborns were even separated from their parents.

Although the policy of compulsory segregation was abandoned by experts in 1948, it was still implemented in some countries until the end of the 1990s. Even today, there are up to 2000 leprosy colonies and villages that exist in the world.

Since its very beginning, the disease has been unable to escape from a web of stigma and pervasive stereotypes.

A report issued by the UN expert on leprosy Alice Cruz at last month’s Human Rights Council stated that ‘harmful stereotypes, wrongful stereotyping and structural iniquities strengthens exclusion, discrimination and violence … and compromises the enjoyment of fundamental rights, such as dignity, equality and non-discrimination.’

Women more likely to be discriminated

The report found that women were at higher risk of suffering discrimination and violence, and also developing leprosy-related physical impairments and disabilities. In many countries where leprosy exists, women have a lower social status, and therefore carry shame and try to hide the disease. To access healthcare, they often need the authorisation of their husband or family, who may have already ostracised them. Additionally, they may have a limited ability to travel, or they may be illiterate.

Striving for dignity and humanity

“Millions of individuals affected by leprosy were, and continue to be, denied not only their dignity, but also an acknowledgement of their humanity,” stated Cruz. “It is not a coincidence that it is commonly said that persons affected by leprosy experience a civil death.”

Cruz has made a number of recommendations in her report. Among them, she is urging states to immediately abolish and/or amend all discriminatory laws in force, and to establish reparation measures for persons affected by leprosy as well as for children who were forcibly separated from their parents. She recommends that awareness raising is intensified, with the dissemination of accurate information about leprosy and the human rights of the people it affects.

For women affected by leprosy, Cruz’s report urges that they are included in national plans for gender equality, gender violence prevention and women’s access to justice.

“This disease gave me another purpose”

After her eight-year battle with leprosy, Rachna was finally cured at the age of 32. She now lives with her parents and two children in Bihar.

Today, her aim is to help other people affected by the disease and campaign for their rights. She works at the Lepra Society’s Munger Referral Centre in Bihar, and is a member of the State Forum of Leprosy Affected People. She also sits on the Advisory Panel of the International Federation of Anti Leprosy Associations, where she addresses policy makers.

Rachna was recently in Geneva to contribute a survivor’s voice to the discussion among States taking place at the Human Rights Council. She spoke at a side event, and met with Deputy High Commissioner for UN Human Rights, Kate Gilmore.

Rachna is continuing the fight against stigma and discrimination. ”Seeing the women suffer is heart-breaking, but in my own way I try to make them stand strong and independent.”

Although in India, the Supreme Court has issued direction to central and state governments to take steps to fight laws that discriminate against those affected by leprosy, Rachna believes “there are various stakeholders who do not understand these issues.”

She says much more effort needs to be put into awareness raising on the fact the disease is treatable and curable in order to reduce discrimination. Information on leprosy can be included in the school curriculum, she suggests. She also says that treatment and information about leprosy should be available in general healthcare consultations, instead of it being addressed as a separate disease.

“There is so much to work to be done,” she says. “After all, every person has the right to live life with dignity.”

source : https://www.ohchr.org/