It is not just the physical effects of leprosy which devastates lives. The prejudice that people experience is separating them from society and excluding them from full participation in all ways of life, causing many affected and disabled by leprosy to feel ashamed and 

After restructuring of the country into three tire governmental system (federal, provincial & local – Municipalities) mainstreaming of leprosy (as medical as well as social problem) as cross cutting issues of wholistic development program seems quite relevant. There are all together 761 government entities governing the policy issues exists in the countries. On making leprosy as a strong issues within development practices & managing for proper resources allocations with priorities, NLR Nepal has initiated ‘Model work Municipalities on inclusive development’ as some of the demonstration sites for further replication to remaining areas of the country.

Expansion of Disabilities friendly model villages’ area to cover the whole municipality where we had started the project in previous years in the current changing socio-political context are the main attraction of this project. This project further aims to incorporate disability issues as cross cutting for holistic development package program schemes together with the local government and facilitate the government to have their ownership. Some organizational enhancement components are added to this project so that this project can influence against stigma & discriminations as well as mainstreaming of leprosy to general disabilities. To promote disabilities prevention & management, from our experiences of previous work in Jhapa, Inspire2Care project activities are planned to start in 15 municipalities as the component of Inclusive Development model work that covers some sort of services needed for Persons With Disabilities & persons affected by leprosy. 

Advocacy & lobbying at the policy level, networking, empowerment and capacity building are the major aims of this project. Persons With Disabilities can receive the required services such as treatment and devices, either from Government schemes or existing rehabilitation centers and the organization like National Federation of Disabled Nepal (NFDN) can establish the linkage for that. At the current situation NFDN and its network needed to be strengthening for disability rights and advocacy.

The major focus of this project, Disability Inclusive Development program is inclusion through proper participation in mainstream development program of deprived or pro-poor populations where as leprosy effected persons & persons with disabilities are taken as main priority target groups. Different activities are planned together with NLR, BPs and related Municipalities and then resources allocation is managed accordingly.

This strategy of comprehensive WASH aims to mobilize WASH and NTD actors to work together. It calls on WASH funders and implementers to target NTD endemic areas and deliver programs that maximize the effectiveness of WASH interventions for NTD control and elimination. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are critical in the prevention and care for 16 of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) scheduled for intensified control or elimination by 2020. Hence, the main goal of this comprehensive WASH is “WASH aiming to reduce NTDs resulting the reduction of impairment and disabilities associated with it”. Linking WASH and NTDs has potential to impact on multiple NTDs through a single area of intervention.

Another expect of this comprehensive WASH is “User Friendly”. In general available WASH facilities are not friendly for all such as persons with disabilities, leprosy, gender, age etc. The access for all, it means not only physical but attitudinal or communicational or others, need to ensure by overcoming several existing barriers. In particularly in poorer rural areas in Nepal, all people are affected by inadequate access to water and sanitation facilities and suitable hygiene practices. 38% of the population of Nepal still has no access to safe water and sanitation. Majorities of those are the vulnerable groups such as persons affected by leprosy, persons with disabilities and their families.

Leprosy itself is part of NTD. Further, since this comprehensive WASH projects aims to reduce disabilities which is more relevant to leprosy. This comprehensive WASH is the innovative approach designed on the basis of WASH global strategy & WASH master plan of Nepal. Since, this is one of the major priority of Nepal, local government are completely responsible for project execution together with their financial management.

NLR Nepal Boundary partners (BPs) are main responsible organizations for all planned (5) projects execution as well as to ensure their better performances on achieving the set targets whereas role of NLR is providing technical or financial support, facilitation & monitoring. Further, community-based organizations including local government authorities are the main actors on making changes and tracking the outcomes. On this regard, capacity enhancement of main actors as well as establishing a appropriate system is the main aim of this project.

Strengthening the services providing focal points, lobbying & facilitating to establish well-equipped service centres as per their services providing areas, transferring well directive system of the local government for proper monitoring and updates, keeping the projects in proper track together with monitoring the progress and achievements are the major components of this project. Majority parts of this project will be funded and manage by local government & related stakeholders with the joint effort of NLR Nepal.