(Greenville, S.C., September 15, 2022) ⸺  During the closing plenary of the 13th Annual Neglected Tropical Diseases NGO Network (NNN) Conference, American Leprosy Missions awarded the fourth annual NTD Innovation Prize of $40,000.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect more than one billion of the world’s most vulnerable people. ​​Launched in 2019, American Leprosy Missions’ NTD Innovation Prize is the first opportunity of its kind, supporting ingenuity to generate sustainable, positive impact in the fight against NTDs.

This year American Leprosy Missions, partnering with Novartis, awarded $40,000 to The Leprosy Mission (TLM) – Bangladesh, represented by program support coordinator, Jiptha Boiragee. With this funding, TLM Bangladesh will expand a project first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic: a digital solution connecting medical staff with people suffering leprosy complications. Approximately 2,500 people in Bangladesh require treatment for leprosy complications each year, but only six hospitals are equipped for these services. TLM Bangladesh used digital platforms to connect TLM’s medical staff with these patients, their family members and local leprosy people’s organizations. The 2022 Prize will allow TLM to scale this project to serve even more people.  

Since 2019, American Leprosy Missions has awarded over $140,000 to innovative projects combatting NTDs. Applications for the 2023 Prize will be accepted at ntdinnovation.org in spring 2023.

About American Leprosy Missions

American Leprosy Missions is the oldest and largest Christian organization in the United States dedicated to breaking down barriers to health and restoring hope for people suffering from the pain and stigma of neglected tropical diseases like leprosy. It currently supports projects, programs and partners in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia and South America. Since its founding in 1906, American Leprosy Missions has provided holistic healing to more than four million people around the world, including through medical treatment, health worker training, disease mapping, community development, health system strengthening and research.

For Additional Information

Sarah Hesshaus, Vice President of Business Process and Communications
[email protected]