Volunteers from the Order of Malta’s French Association took to the streets and squares of French towns on the 65th World Leprosy Day aiming to raise funds for new leprosy awareness campaigns and continuing scientific research.

Every two minutes a new case of leprosy is diagnosed in some part of the world. For many years the French Association has been at the forefront in combating leprosy, working with local health authorities to train local doctors and nurses, and offering treatment and assistance to sufferers.

Those who suffer from leprosy are often excluded from the society in which they live and destined for a life of hardship. The French Association’s doctors and healthcare workers run awareness and prevention campaigns in some of the most at risk countries, such as Benin, Cameron, Guinea Conakry, Madagascar, Mozambique and Senegal in Africa, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in Asia.