Evarestus Lilibeth Nwakaego
National Coordinator
Purple Hope Initiative Nigeria (PHIN)
Evarestus Lilibeth Nwakaego is legal practitioner and executive member of the Nigerian Bar Association. She is also a person affected by Hansen’s disease and a human rights activist. In addition to her work as PHIN’s national coordinator, she contributes at the board and advisory level to numerous Hansen’s disease-related initiatives in other organizations.
To stimulate thinking and inspire new approaches, the Leprosy Bulletin occasionally asks a person affected by leprosy or an individual involved in leprosy-related work for a list of a few things that they wish could happen.
- I wish that women affected by Hansen’s disease could receive technical support to scale up their skills related to food security as this would help them to develop more robust coping mechanisms.
- I wish that persons affected by Hansen’s disease, particularly women, could be involved in projects that make them feel committed and independent so that their mental health improves and they have fewer struggles with poverty and stigma.
- I wish that inclusion of persons affected by Hansen’s disease in leprosy services at all levels would be properly monitored and implemented.
