Hope behind closed doors
Peter Waddup, CEO - The Leprosy Mission Great Britain
Sometimes I can lose heart a bit too easily - maybe you feel the same? In recent years Westminster has faced more accusations of elitism and being 'out of touch' than ever before. The Brexit 'Leave' campaign was arguably a protest against the establishment. A great chasm between 'them' and 'us'. Yet as I glanced around the House of Lords on Tuesday, there couldn't have been a more diverse group of people.
I’m sure you were as devastated as me when the previous Tory government cut the overseas aid budget. I was equally disappointed when the new Labour government showed no urgency in restoring it to its rightful 0.7% of GNI. Yet it's simply not true that our politicians have given up on the world's poorest.
Tuesday's event to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day proved to be a real powerhouse in its fight to end these 21 diseases. An opportunity for parliamentarians, civil servants and journalists to meet people baring the scars of NTDs.
It may be shocking to hear that a billion lives today are needlessly blighted by NTDs. But a heart response is needed to do something about it and take on the fight for justice. This is a response that can only come from hearing someone's story first hand. It is only then that you can imagine what it is like to walk a mile in a fellow human being's shoes.
First up was an extraordinary advocate for the World Health Organization's newest named NTD - Noma. With visible scars to her face and in traditional Nigerian dress, Mulikat Okanlawon cut a powerful figure. Instantly commanding the attention of the room, it's small wonder Mulikat was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 health heroes.
Dan Izzett, who is disabled by leprosy, chats to Dr Lauren Sullivan MP at the House of Lords on Tuesday night. Dr Sullivan is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Next was my good friend Dan Izzett, who is a somewhat atypical leprosy patient. Dan is from Zimbabwe originally and has never lived in poverty. We will never know whether being white and middle-class actually contributed to Dan's late leprosy diagnosis. But by the time he was diagnosed in 1972, the disease had caused terrible nerve damage to his body. This led to him losing a leg, a toe and fingers. Dan kept his leprosy a secret for 28 years because he was scared about discrimination. But since 'coming out' Dan has demystified and destigmatised leprosy in the most extraordinary way.
Babs Izzett, who has been treated for leprosy, is pictured by the winning entry to an NTD art competition at the House of Lords.
Dan mentioned his lovely wife Babs in his speech on Tuesday evening. Babs too was treated for leprosy. But thankfully she was cured earlier than Dan and therefore spared the disabilities he endured. If Dan had not mentioned his incredible wife, she would've simply been a face in the crowd. Noone would ever think this lovely, well-dressed grandma had been treated for an NTD.
Doesn't this reflect life itself? For every voice heard, there are so many others quietly carrying the scars, either physically or emotionally.
The work of UK Parliament is intrinsically about bringing justice. And as a key player on the global stage, we too should be bringing justice to the poorest communities on earth. Ridding the world of NTDs isn't just 'an overseas problem'. It's very much ours if we want to continue being a global superpower.
Just as MPs need to listen to the needs of their constituents, they should also seek to hear the voices of the world's poorest. It was encouraging to see members of the press who have the privilege of being able to magnify these voices.
Overlooking the Thames on a grey January evening, I couldn't be further removed from the communities in which we work in Asia and Africa. Yet, homeward bound, seeping through the beauty of the Parliament buildings and the bright lights on the South Bank, was a renewed hope. That by keeping up the fight, even behind closed doors, we were a step closer to a just world.
