Put disability on the agenda for Nafisa!
When Nafisa was 14 years old, she found out that she had leprosy. Tragically, instead of receiving the necessary care for the disease, she was instead given traditional herbal treatment for five years. Her bones became infected and she developed severe disabilities.
At The Leprosy Mission, we know the full inclusion of people with disabilities in development is vital. Send a message to PM Cameron today: It's time UK politicians made sure people with disabilities are included in development programmes!
Nafisa still has hope for a bright future - these days she's receiving correct treatment at a hospital in Niger, and still loves to cook and wants to marry and have children.
Unfortunately, when it comes to international aid, people like Nafisa who struggle with disabilities, are often ignored by governments.
While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have made major progress in the fight against poverty, they failed to include the needs of people with disabilities - the largest minority group in the world.
We can't continue ignoring people like Nafisa around the world. Help us send the message to PM Cameron: We demand full inclusion of people with disabilities in our development programmes!
Dear David Cameron
We, the undersigned, ask that the Department for International Development (DFID) develops and implements a strategy that includes measures to ensure people with disabilities and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are targeted in its programmes to fight global poverty.
Around one billion people - or 15 per cent of the world's population - have a disability.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), including leprosy, affect 1.4 billion of the world's poorest people.
NTDs and disability are barriers to the Millennium Development Goals being achieved.
As a major donor, the Department for International Development is in a strong position to influence its partners' policies on disability and NTDs. (More than half of DFID's budget is spent through multilateral agencies which are critical to DFID's humanitarian work.)
Sincerely,
[Your name]
