This World Leprosy Day—observed internationally on the last Sunday of January—we remember that leprosy is not just history, health statistics or headlines. It is a lived reality for people like Maria in Timor-Leste whose life has been shaped by the complex impacts of this ancient disease.
Every year on World Leprosy Day, organisations, communities and advocates across the world raise awareness of leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) because it still exists and continues to affect lives today. Although leprosy is curable, many people remain vulnerable to its medical, social and economic consequences. Living with the weight of stigma continues to make life harder, isolating affected individuals and their families from community life and essential support.
For Maria, life has meant survival through hard work: chopping firewood, tending vegetables, selling produce at the market. But leprosy has caused severe nerve damage to her hands and feet. Her fingers are numb, making every swing of an axe dangerous. Even gardening carries risk, as cuts and thorns go unfelt, and infection constantly threatens.
Maria cannot afford to stop working. In Timor-Leste, no income often means no food. Like many people affected by leprosy, she has also experienced rejection within her community.
Maria’s story is not extraordinary because it is unique—it is extraordinary because it reflects what leprosy still does in communities where access to early diagnosis, ongoing care, and inclusive health systems remains uneven.
World Leprosy Day matters because leprosy is still a global health issue. Even though it can be cured with timely treatment, people continue to be diagnosed each year, and many live with preventable disability because diagnosis came too late. The greatest challenges today are not medical alone, but social—stigma, discrimination, and barriers to healthcare that delay treatment and deepen suffering.
Stories like Maria’s remind us why continued awareness and action are essential.
First marked in 1954, World Leprosy Day is an invitation to act with compassion and justice. It calls on all of us to recognise the dignity of people affected by leprosy and to support approaches that prioritise early detection, community-based care, and health systems that leave no one behind.
At Leprosy Mission Australia, this commitment is expressed through practical, long-term investment in healthcare, including rebuilding and strengthening clinics in places where people affected by leprosy can access diagnosis, treatment, wound care and education close to home.
In Oecusse, Timor-Leste, Leprosy Mission Australia is working to restore a health clinic so it can once again serve the community. Importantly, once the clinic is rebuilt and fully operational, its operations will be funded by the local government, who will eventually take over its running. This partnership approach helps ensure long-term access to care, strengthens local health systems, and reduces reliance on external support over time.
Take a tour of the Health Clinic below!
This World Leprosy Day, you are invited to become a Clinic Champion by supporting the rebuilding of this clinic. Clinics like this are more than buildings; they are places of healing, prevention and dignity, helping ensure that fewer people experience the life-changing impacts of late diagnosis.
As we mark World Leprosy Day, we are reminded that:
* Leprosy is curable, but delayed diagnosis still causes unnecessary suffering.
* Stigma remains a powerful barrier to health and inclusion.
* Strong, locally sustained health systems protect lives, livelihoods and dignity.
This World Leprosy Day, thank you for standing with compassion, dignity and hope.
Please consider giving your Clinic Champion gift today to help restore essential health services for people affected by leprosy.
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