Our mission

The Leprosy Mission is an international Christian charity with 140 years of experience. Through The Leprosy Mission’s global family we serve a population of 305 million people in around 30 leprosy-affected countries.

What is leprosy?
How we help
Where we work

Leprosy is a mildly infectious disease associated with poverty. It is easily cured. Leprosy starts by damaging the small nerves on the skin’s surface resulting in a loss of sensation.

Without the gift of pain, everyday activities are fraught with danger. Unnoticed burns and ulcers can lead to permanent disability. Due to the inability to detect grit in the eye, blindness is a common consequence of leprosy.

Our work is broad and far-reaching. The combination of a disease which has a severely debilitating effect on the body and the stigma surrounding it means a unique and holistic approach is required to care for a person’s needs.

We tend to the physical, social, spiritual and psychological needs of a leprosy-affected person. Our steadfast support proves to be the bedrock upon which thousands of people globally have grown to depend on over a number of decades.

We concentrate our efforts on 11 countries in Asia and Africa. The needs of individuals and communities affected by leprosy vary significantly between the nations in which we work.

We work closely with staff in these Asian and African countries to provide and evaluate a range of different projects. The projects help transform the lives of leprosy-affected people as well as working towards eradicating the causes of the disease.