Involvement of persons affected by leprosy and lymphatic filariasis in education, health and livelihood is needed to enable their full participation in all aspects of life. This project explores the situation regarding social inclusion of these people in resource-poor communities.
Promoting inclusion of persons affected by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) in generic community development.
Project Coordination
Partners
- Kyambogo University, Uganda
- Uganda National Alliance Against Leprosy (UNALEP)
- Ministry of Health/National Tb and Leprosy Control Programme, Kampala, Uganda
Project summary
Involvement of persons affected by leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) in education, health and livelihood is required to enable their full participation in all aspects of life. Social inclusion is considered a human right and a majority of United Nation (UN) Member States, including Uganda, have rectified the UN charter concerning the rights of persons with disabilities.
Leprosy and LF are common among poor communities where access to resources, facilities and opportunities is limited. Both leprosy and LF may lead to visible impairments which may result in stigma, discrimination and social exclusion. Community development programmes are aimed at empowering individuals to identify and mitigate their challenges as a means of improving their quality of life. Empowerment is also an important aspect in achieving an inclusive society. Inclusion of people affected by leprosy and LF requires establishing their participation in community development programmes to inform effective planning and implementation of strategies for improvement.
The specific research questions of this project are therefore:
- How are persons affected by Leprosy and LF involved in Health, Education and Livelihood community development programmes in post-conflict regions and refugee prone regions of Uganda?
- What facilitates and what hinders persons affected by Leprosy and LF from getting involved in community development programmes?
- What problems do persons affected by Leprosy and LF experience in community development?
- What can be done to increase involvement of people affected by Leprosy and LF in community development programmes?