Cutting through the noise
Peter Waddup, CEO - The Leprosy Mission Great Britain
What a turbulent week it's been with political violence sweeping the streets. Not only in the UK but in Nigeria and Bangladesh where we work.
The violent scenes caused by far-right groups in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton and other parts of the UK are abhorrent. They present Sir Keir Starmer with his first major challenge as our new Prime Minister.
In Bangladesh and Nigeria our movements have been restricted due to anti-government protests. As ever, too many lives have been lost and too much blood shed.
At The Leprosy Mission we stand in solidarity with communities facing racism and violence. We pray for those working hard to build resilient, peaceful and diverse communities.
All this global political discourse comes in a record year of elections. Countries home to a majority of the world's population are casting their votes at the ballot boxes in 2024.
After Labour surged to a landslide victory in the UK last month, the US presidential elections loom large in November. Four of the nine countries in which we work to defeat leprosy also have or will go to the polls in 2024. There have already been well-publicised elections held in India and Bangladesh. Then it's the turn of the people of Sri Lanka in September and the electorate of Mozambique in October.
These elections have huge implications for domestic policies relating to global health. We work tirelessly to see leprosy services integrated into public health systems. As well as meeting politicians, our medics train government health workers on leprosy. Not only do they pass on their specialist knowledge, but also the challenges of working with such a stigmatised disease.
The 2024 elections are key to addressing global challenges including climate change and conflict. As ever, it is these challenges which impact the world's poorest people the most, the very people we seek to help. We are always eager to see if the leadership is there to keep the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Sometimes it can feel like you're at the mercy of global political giants when working for a charity. But there are always encouragements to be found and people willing to help. After our general election, I was happy to read that a third of our MPs have a charity sector background.
We have already written to 50 newly-elected or re-elected MPs, encouraging them to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. We were delighted to welcome the Secretariat of this group, Martha Varney, to our Peterborough office last week. We were so pleased to tell her more about our work and were grateful for her attentiveness.
By being a part of the APPG, MPs can learn of the needs of the most vulnerable people on the planet. They can then help influence key decision making on how the UK Aid budget is spent. I am already encouraged by the new Minister for the FCDO, Anneliese Dodd's resolution to protect the overseas aid budget. In 2023, 27% of the budget was allocated to refugee projects in the UK. While we absolutely support these projects, they must not be funded at the cost of lives in Asia and Africa.
We can only work in the most effective way we can within government frameworks, both in the UK and overseas. It is our job to cure leprosy and help transform the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable people. I am thankful to my overseas colleagues for forging strong relationships with government teams. They lay the groundwork for our incredible UK supporters to change the lives of people affected by leprosy.
In the midst of the world's troubles, we must strive to be resilient. We must cut through the noise and raise the voices of a special group of people largely forgotten by this world.
