who we are
history
Ireland has made a unique and powerful contribution to the global fight to eradicate leprosy.
The Leprosy Mission was founded in Ireland in 1874 by Irishman Wellesley Bailey. He first came into contact with leprosy suffers when he was working as a teacher in Ambala, India. He wrote back to his friends in Dublin with these words:
‘I almost shuddered … yet at the same time I was fascinated, and I felt, if ever there was a Christ-like work in the world it was to go amongst these poor sufferers …”
Moved with compassion his friends decided they must take action. A meeting was held in Monkstown, Dublin and a promise was made to raise £30. The Leprosy Mission was born!
From those humble beginnings in Dublin has grown The Leprosy Mission International, a leading anti-leprosy agency recognized for its global expertise and its lead in the global fight.
Back in 1874 when Wellesley Bailey and his friends first started to care for people with leprosy there was no cure. All that could be offered was love and compassion. But now, leprosy can be cured thanks to a remarkable, life transforming cure discovered in Ireland in the 1970’s. Cork man, Dr Vincent Barry, lead a team of scientists at The Medical Research Council in Trinity College to discover the cure for leprosy. Since its introduction some 15 million people have been cured. As you would expect, TLM has been instrumental in the global roll out this cure.
But we must not remain in the past. Our vision is of a world where leprosy, its causes and its consequences are confined to history. A vaccine will be a key component in achieving that goal. We wholeheartedly support our colleagues at American Leprosy Mission who are leading the initiative in searching for a vaccine.
In the meantime, we are extremely grateful to Novartis Pharmaceuticals and the World Health Organisation for generously partnering to make the cure for leprosy available free of charge. TLM continues to fund the cost of case detection, diagnosis, distribution and medical intervention, retraining, rehabilitation, care after cure and community development. However, without the generosity of Novartis and WHO the cost of our work would be significantly higher.
call to action
TLM Ireland cannot carry out its life changing work without your help.
We rely heavily of the generosity of individuals who volunteer both at home and overseas. We also rely heavily on business, churches, and other organisations to supply the financial resources that we need.
Much of our funding is provided by personal gift and by the generosity of individuals who leave legacies to the work of TLM. Increasingly, gifts in kind play an important role in our work.
In joining with us to effect real change you might want to donate your valuable time, a skill, a financial gift or a legacy. You might want to pray for the work. To get involved in these ways please either call TLM on 1890 50 51 52 or email us at info@leprosymission.ie . To donate funds to TLM online please click on the red button below.
