Children Unite For Action (CUFA) – a project to reduce school dropouts in children affected by leprosy & other disabilities.

India accounts for 59.8% of the global leprosy cases (WHO report 2017), out of which close to 9% affected are children.

Leprosy can derail an individual’s entire life but when it affects children it leaves them with a weakened foundation -- physically (due to deformities and disabilities), psychologically (due to the extreme stigma associated with leprosy), and economically (due to many discontinuing their schooling and never earning a minimum qualification to enter a formal trade) -- from which they find it extremely challenging to recover and build a constructive, dignified, and productive life.

According to data provided by the National Leprosy Eradication Programme, 11,792 new child cases of leprosy were discovered in 2018. On an average, over 10,000 children are found to be affected by leprosy and other disabilities in a year.

Even children who are themselves not affected by leprosy but come from leprosy colonies or families who are affected by leprosy find it difficult to escape the associated stigma and often receive the same discriminatory treatment from society.

All this leads to a child who drops out of the educational net of the country, which consequently has a large destructive impact on their future.

CUFA ensures that these children have the necessary skills and knowledge to access education and attain desired relevant careers. The needs of these children are addressed in a holistic manner with the aim of developing them into educated self-advocates who challenge the society’s discriminatory attitude and demand their:

• Right to Survival
• Right to Protection
• Right to Participation
• Right to Development

Early detection of leprosy among children to prevent disabilities and inclusive development are important aspects of the project.

• The program has the following aspects:
• Financial Support to Reduce Dropouts
• Individual and Group Mentoring to Help Overcome Stigma and Discrimination
• Counselling for Academic-Career Growth.
• Personality Development & Life Skills Training
• Champion Identification & Development
• Active Advocacy on Child Rights & Leprosy through Formation of Children's Parliament in Leprosy Colonies and their Neighbourhood

This project aims to reach 600 children and provide them inclusive and holistic development that include scholarship, personality development, life skill training, adolescent health education, English speaking classes, career guidance and leprosy awareness.