For 60 years, the Follereau Luxembourg Foundation has been keeping the healthcare sector alive.

To mark World Leprosy Day, celebrated every year on the last Sunday in January, the Follereau Luxembourg Foundation is renewing its commitment to the fight against leprosy. Despite the considerable medical progress made over recent decades, leprosy, like other neglected tropical diseases, remains a reality for millions of people around the world.

Leprosy still exists and remains a stigmatised disease

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), leprosy is still present in more than 120 countries, with over 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Although the disease is curable through a combination of antibiotics, effective access to treatment remains hampered. Beyond gaps in healthcare provision, economic and socio-cultural factors, as well as stigma and misinformation, continue to prevent thousands of people from accessing early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

The theme of World Leprosy Day 2026, ‘Leprosy is curable, the real challenge is stigma’, highlights the social and cultural barriers that still surround this disease.

A cause that resonates with the values of the Follereau Luxembourg Foundation

For 60 years, the Follereau Luxembourg Foundation has been working to support vulnerable communities, particularly in Africa, by backing local initiatives in health, education, protection and emergency response. Operating in five African countries, the foundation supports more than 350,000 beneficiaries each year, working in partnership with local organisations to strengthen healthcare systems, combat marginalisation and promote community self-reliance.

Following in the footsteps of Raoul Follereau, who founded World Leprosy Day in 1954, the foundation is now more broadly committed to the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These diseases, which mainly affect the poorest and most marginalised populations, remain insufficiently addressed despite their major impact on the health, dignity and development of communities. Through its work, the foundation aims to:

• To raise awareness of the reality of neglected tropical diseases, including leprosy, and to combat the misconceptions and stigma associated with them;

• To promote equitable access to prevention, early diagnosis and effective treatments by strengthening local health systems;

• Supporting the social inclusion and reintegration of those affected, by combating exclusion, discrimination and loss of livelihoods;

• Strengthening the capacity of frontline workers to ensure an integrated and sustainable response to NTMs.

What we call today

Let us continue our fight together and keep the heart of health beating, in 2026 and far beyond.

In 2026, let’s fight against stigma in Guinée Forestière by informing, screening and treating those affected… In Benin, by continuing to hold awareness-raising sessions that reach thousands of people. In the Central African Republic, by continuing to provide access to quality medical services for marginalised communities and people with disabilities.

If you would like to make a donation:
FONDATION FOLLEREAU Luxembourg
BCEE IBAN LU38 0019 1100 2081 3000