Volunteer with The Leprosy Mission

At a glance

Causes

Faith and ethics
Health and well being / research and care
International development

Other details

Organisation type:

Charity

Geographical remit:

International

Objectives

We are a global Christian organisation leading the fight against leprosy. Following Jesus Christ, we seek to bring about transformation; breaking the chains of leprosy and empowering people to attain healing, dignity and life in all its fullness. Everything we do is focused on our goals of zero leprosy transmission, zero leprosy disability and zero leprosy discrimination.

Working in partnership is vital to our success. We support and develop our partners to help them carry out cost-efficient, effective, sustainable work. And we learn from them and share expertise to continually improve what we do and achieve our goals.

Our partners include:

Churches and other faith groups, who help us deliver services for people affected by leprosy. For example, running a mobile clinic, hosting a disability resource centre, or treating people in a war-affected area. Interfaith leprosy committees raise awareness and tackle stigma, and help people claim their rights.
Governments at all levels. Local partnerships are focused on healthcare-staff training, technical support and awareness raising. While our partnerships with more central governments are focused on advocacy and policy change.
Health services, which we support with staff training, diagnosis and case management. In the countries where we have hospitals, these complement the public health system by offering specialist leprosy services.
Professional bodies. For example, in Nepal, we connect our local partners with the Chambers of Commerce for our employability project. And in Nigeria, we facilitate a partnership with the Association of Physiotherapists.
Businesses, which support and sponsor our projects. For example, in India, The Leprosy Mission partners with companies to help people affected by leprosy find work after they have completed courses at our vocational training centre. We also have UK-based corporate partners.
Trusts and foundations, which support our work in general or fund specific projects. For example, in Nepal, UK-based trusts are supporting 1,300 people affected by leprosy and disability to earn a living, become more active in their community and demand better conditions.
Research institutions and universities. For example, we are currently partnering with the University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham on research into ulcer treatment. And in Nepal we are supporting work with the Netherlands' Leiden University to develop a new early diagnostic test for leprosy.

People affected by leprosy know what is best for them.

They are our most important partner. We work with them and their local organisations to design, implement and evaluate projects with the context in mind. Any support we provide, whether healthcare, job training or human rights-based advocacy, is a response to people’s needs. As well as working with people affected by leprosy locally, we amplify their voices on the international stage.

Our code of conduct requires our staff and partners to live our values of compassion, justice, integrity, inclusion and humility. We have a zero-tolerance approach to harm to, or exploitation of, our staff, volunteers and the communities we work with. Safeguarding these people is our top priority.

Activities

Our Christian identity is at the heart of who we are and everything we do. Our values are:

Compassion: As Jesus did, we care deeply for others particularly those adversely affected by leprosy and those most in need. We feel their pain and are motivated to walk alongside them in Christ-like love, doing all we can to support their physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

Integrity: We work with honesty and transparency with a seamless correlation between our message and our actions. We foster open communication, where there is no fear of sharing challenges and successes. We respect our partners and work together to find solutions to problems and achieve common goals.

Inclusion: We value all individuals, believing they were made in the image of God. We promote equal access and opportunity to all, and are committed to removing discrimination and other barriers, enabling people to live life in all its fullness.

Justice: We promote dignity, respecting and fostering human rights. We champion the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty and the Principles and Guidelines for the Elimination of Discrimination Against People Affected by Leprosy and their Family Members. We have appropriate mechanisms in place to actively protect children and vulnerable adults from harm and abuse.

Humility: We treat everyone as equals and do not see ourselves as superior to others. We seek to serve the most marginalised, who often live in difficult environments. We are willing to get our hands dirty as we serve others, just as Jesus was willing to wash the feet of his disciples. We value the opinions of others and are open to listen and learn. We solicit and respond to feedback from partners and those we serve.

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