In celebration of The Leprosy Mission’s 150th anniversary year, our Wellesley Bailey Awards judges decided to name four winners of the award in 2024.
One of these remarkable winners is Md. Kamal Uddin, who has overcome many hardships and is now an inspiration to others.
Kamal’s Story: Overcoming Adversity
Kamal was first diagnosed with leprosy in 1969, and because of the war in Bangladesh at the time, he had no access to effective treatment. In 1972, he was re-diagnosed and started treatment with antibiotics, but the delay had already had devastating consequences for him. The effects of his long-untreated leprosy included clawed fingers, finger amputations, chronic foot ulcers and vision impairments.
From the time of his diagnosis, Kamal faced serious discrimination, being denied secondary education, job opportunities and social interactions.
Despite all these challenges, Kamal has found ways help himself and others. He stayed consistent with his treatment and practiced self-care, such as wearing protective footwear. In 2008, he decided to join a self-help group facilitated by The Leprosy Mission. Through training and practical experience with this group, Kamal developed valuable leadership, management and negotiation skills. From this point, He went from strength to strength. In 2009, he was elected as the Chairman of the group. In 2010, he became a leader in the local federation, and in 2012 he was elected as the Chairman of the Disadvantaged Peoples’ Association (DAPA). In this role, Kamal led 3,451 people across 275 self-help groups.
In 2018, Kamal eventually became the founding Chairman of the national-level Advancing Leprosy and Disadvantaged Peoples’ Opportunities Society, also known as the ALO Society. The society is made up of 1,700 self-help groups with around 20,000 members across Bangladesh. Kamal has led the society in implementing numerous projects, including COIVD awareness and leprosy awareness, and has also secured funding for their work from a variety of international funders, enabling them to help thousands of people.
Today, Kamal participates in conferences, seminars and TV talk shows to help educate the public about leprosy, dispel common myths, and encourage understanding and compassion towards those affected by leprosy. He has even contributed to government legislation and NGO strategy development. He has become instrumental in helping the communities of Bangladesh with income-generating activities and education support, as well as leprosy education and awareness. He is a true leprosy champion, and highly deserving of the award.
About the Wellesley Bailey Awards
The Wellesley Bailey Awards celebrate the life and work of Wellesley Bailey, who founded The Leprosy Mission in 1874. The awards were established in 1999 and are given to recognise the work of people who have made significant contributions to society by overcoming the challenges of leprosy.
The four winners of the 2024 Wellesley Bailey Award have been invited to join The Leprosy Mission at our 150th Anniversary Celebration in New Delhi in November.
Below, you can watch a video of The Leprosy Mission’s 150th Anniversary Celebration Event, as well as our 150th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service.