The Wellesley Bailey Awards
Named after the founder of The Leprosy Mission, the Wellesley Bailey Awards honour those who have made extraordinary contributions to society.
This year as part of the 150th events in New Delhi we recognised four remarkable people with this award. These champions of The Leprosy Mission have not only overcome their own challenges to their health, but have stood up on behalf of others affected by leprosy. They are all deserved winners of theWellesley Bailey Award.
MAYA RANAVARE (pictured speaking to the right) is one of the four brave winners of the Wellesley Bailey award this year. She started her life in India marked by exclusion.Her mother was affected by leprosy and Maya was born in a leprosy colony. When she started showing signs of leprosy aged six the discrimination she experienced got worse. She wasn’t able to access education and seemed trapped in a cruel cycle of poverty.
Her spirit remained unbroken. All to aware of the stigma she had experienced when she became a mother she arranged marriages for her children outside the colonies,ensuring they could live free from discrimination.
After encountering social workers Maya heard stories of hope and organisations supporting persons affected by leprosy. This resonated deeply within her, shattering the sense of despair she had carried all her life. Encouraged by theirguidance Maya became an agent of change. She began leading and advocating to eliminate prejudice and improve living conditions within leprosy colonies.
Maya has roles within many groups, demonstrating her strong leadership and trusted relationships. Her tireless efforts have significantly reduced stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and her advocacy has changed peoples lives for the better in leprosy colonies. This includes improving access to education, healthcare and social protection services. Basic services that had beendenied are now being accessed thanks to Maya.
U Soe Win founded an organisation for persons affected by leprosy in Myanmar. This has grown since 2018 to now more than 600 members. Leprosy almost robbed U Soe Win of the incredible impact he was to have, the physical and emotional toll leprosy placed on him led him to attempt suicide three times but his family never left his side and helped him recover. U Soe Win has travelled Myanmar and the world to speak truth to power, raise awareness about Leprosy and offer support to people at their lowest points.
Sandra Dongo Botolo has broken social barriers of stigma and shame, raising her voice to speak of her experience of leprosy in DR Congo. She carried leprosy for 20 years before it was properly diagnosed, travelling great distances to get medication. She still experiences pain today from leprosy reaction, similar to Chandrawati’s story on page 11. Sadly discrimination forced her to abandon school and she experienced rejection from her family. But since she heard of an organisation for persons affected by leprosy her life began to change. Now she is the Coordinator of this organisation and speaks all across Congo to dispel the fear of leprosy and encourage everyone to play their part in the fight to end leprosy.
Kamal Uddin has battled the social and physical effects of leprosy for a long time. Despite his difficult journey and disabilities he is championing others affected by leprosy. Kamal is the founding chairman of a national organisation in Bangladesh that supports persons affected by leprosy, persons with disability and persons from disadvantaged backgrounds.More than 20,000 members in Bangladesh are helped by this organisation. Under Kamal’s leadership they have implemented four projects aimed at improving leprosy and Covid awareness.Kamal regularly uses his voice and his story to educate the public about leprosy and has taken part in conferences, seminars, and television talk shows.
