Last month, Nov. 19–23, I visited India, where more new cases of leprosy are detected per year than anywhere else in the world. In the years that I have worked for the elimination of leprosy, I have visited India more than 60 times and traveled to nearly every state, urging approaches that address both the medical and social aspects of the disease.

During this visit, I stayed in New Delhi, where I met with the Minister of Health and Family Welfare as well as the WHO Regional Director for the South-East Asia Region. I also had the moving experience of participating in the 10th anniversary ceremony of the Dalai Lama–Sasakawa Education Scholarship. 

The scholarship began as a matching fund in 2014 when the 14th Dalai Lama and I visited one of India’s approximately 750 leprosy colonies together. His Holiness thought of using his own book royalties to support young people living in the colonies to pursue higher education. The Nippon Foundation matched the contribution, and the Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) joined as an administrative partner.

During the event, I heard from past scholarship recipients who found stable employment after graduating, and some of them told me that they have moved with their families out of the colonies into nearby towns.

Although I felt heartened by the success stories, I also thought about those who still lack opportunity. I want the scholarship program to continue so that more young people in the colonies can pursue higher education and the social integration that it facilitates. A schedule change prevented me from traveling to Dharamsala this time, but I hope to make the trip soon to talk with the Dalai Lama in person about the program’s results so far and my ideas for its future.