Pangkep, Maros, Soppeng, Sidrap in South Sulawesi and Ambon City in Maluku – these are the districts we cover in this empowerment project with the support of the Sasakawa Health Foundation. The young teams of PerMaTa South Sulawesi visits their peers in these districts and encourages them to join our activities. In the last 6 months, we have started in Ambon, Maros and Pangkep. Soppeng and Sidrap will follow this year.
The aim of the project is to enable young people affected by leprosy to return to society, to lead a fulfilling life without having to hide their former illness and to give them the opportunity to develop into role models (agents of change) who actively advocate for the rights and needs of people affected by leprosy and in turn support other people affected by leprosy.
This also has an even wider impact, as confident young people affected by leprosy will have a long-term positive impact on reducing stigma and discrimination in their own communities and encouraging other affected people to overcome their own stigmatisation. This will help to ensure that leprosy is recognised earlier and that treatment is adhered to.
