The Leprosy Mission International (TLMIB) has a long history of working in Bangladesh, particularly in leprosy services, dated back from 1926 when it first started supporting the leprosy work in Chandraghona in Chittagong Hill Tracts. The organisation is a prime member of the National Leprosy Elimination Program (NLEP) of the ministry of health and family welfare of government of Bangladesh. It is also a member country of the global fellowship of the leprosy mission.
The Leprosy Mission actively started supporting the national leprosy program by setting up projects since 1994. In line with the global priorities, The Leprosy Mission looks forward to the organisational goal : Leprosy Defeated; Life Transformed. In the current Bangladesh TLM strategy, the organisation targets the people affected by leprosy. The services for them are all free. The organisation further targets the people suffering from physical disabilities and also those discriminated social class, who are neglected by communities.
TLMIiB is implementing 22 projects under 6 programs across 26 districts in 6 divisions of Bangladesh, with a total of 470 staff strenghts. It is working on the arena of leprosy control, community base rehabilitation, advocacy and research. The projects provided services with wide array ranging from leprosy case identification, treatment, leprosy complication and disability management, community mobilization and empowerment, CBR and SER, advocacy. Link - (TLMiB - Basic Information)
Some of key programmes include:
Gaibandha-jaipurhat leprosy care project (GJLCP)
a combined leprosy and community-based rehabilitation project. It focuses on leprosy case finding, raising awareness, health education, management of complicated leprosy cases, prevention of disabilities as well socio-economic development activities.
Leprosy Research and the rural health programme
In TLM Bangladesh, research in leprosy is a great priority. For last 20 years, various researches are being carried out in the leprosy mission project. So far researches like Bands Study, COLEP study etc were carried out here, with more than 60 publications in peer journals. Six PHD thesis were successful based on the researches done here. The prime area for research is the northern part of Bangladesh where DBLM and Rural Health Program is working. The name of current field researches: 6 month MDT, TENLEP Research, MALTALEP Research, IDEAL Research, Diabetic Research, Research on MCR Pressure Reduction
Advocacy for empowerment (Aep) Project
TLMI-B is implementing the Advocacy for Empowerment (AEP) project since March 2014 with the aim to “create a right conscious enabling environment, particularly for those affected by leprosy, disability and disadvantaged people as well” across Bangladesh. This is a partnership project for advocacy and capacity building based project focused on people affected by leprosy, disability and disadvantaged covering whole programs and projects of TLMI-B (06 programs and 22 projects) and also cover 6 districts of Barisal and Khulna division initiating partnership with churches and Christian faith based organization
in the slums of dhaka
TLM works alongside the Bangladeshi government and other NGOs, serving a population of four million through a leprosy project. The project ensures women are given equal access to services
