Scholarship for children from leprosy-affected families

New Delhi, November 21: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and WHO goodwill ambassador for leprosy eradication Yohei Sasakawa Thursday announced a scholarship worth $100,000 a year for the education of children from leprosy-affected families.

The scholarship would be jointly administered and dispensed by Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF) and Association of People Affected by Leprosy (APAL).

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The Dalai Lama "is earnestly interested in issues related to leprosy, and has urged people not to discriminate against those who have been affected by the disease", said a representative from the Dalai Lama Trust.

"Many children, who live under stigma, are isolated, his prime motive is to make them the part of society and later empower them," the representative added. Yohei Sasakawa said: "Coming from the Dalai Lama himself, this scholarship is sure to encourage the leprosy-affected communities all over the country as well as throughout the world."

IANS