✍ Contributed by Dr. Takahiro Nanri, President, Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative
Chiemi Sanga joined the Sasakawa Health Foundation in 2012. She started in the General Affairs Department, and then, in 2017, she moved to the Leprosy Division, where she served as Chief Program Officer and Director for eight years.
She consistently played a central role in the Nippon Foundation–Sasakawa Health Foundation Joint Leprosy Program Office, established in 2018 to enable the Nippon Foundation Group to tackle leprosy more effectively. The joint program office was renamed the Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) Initiative in 2020. As the public relations officer, she laid the foundation for the Initiative’s communications activities and managed all public relations for Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination. As one example, after this publication was renamed the WHO Goodwill Ambassador’s Leprosy Bulletin in December 2020, she served as its de facto editor-in-chief, dedicating herself to improving the quality of its content.
She also devoted herself to spreading accurate knowledge about leprosy, launching a variety of awareness campaigns. In recent years, she spearheaded the “Global Appeal to end stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy,” which is held annually around World Leprosy Day at the end of January. She also played a central role in establishing the “Ms. Supranational Hansen’s Disease Forum,” held every June in collaboration with the Ms. Supranational Secretariat, organizer of one of the world’s five major beauty pageants.
Furthermore, she was deeply involved in supporting organizations of persons affected by leprosy worldwide. She was dedicated to eliminating discrimination against patients, those who have recovered, and their families. In particular, the “Sasakawa Leprosy Initiative Young Scholar Program,” launched in 2024 to cultivate the next generation of leaders and expected to become the core of the Initiative’s work to support the community of persons affected by leprosy, would not have been possible without her efforts.
Chiemi worked tirelessly to strengthen the systems that support the Initiative’s activities and to create the conditions for more effective operations. She was a sun-like presence for all staff, sincerely committed to realizing the Initiative’s vision of “a world free from leprosy and its impact on human beings” until the very end. The news of her passing was received with profound shock by the global leprosy community, particularly by persons affected by leprosy, and the Initiative received numerous expressions of condolences and deep sorrow.
With profound respect and gratitude, we sincerely pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of Chiemi Sanga.
From the Goodwill Ambassador
“I am at a loss for words at this sudden tragedy. Chiemi was an exceptionally dedicated activist. It feels like losing a family member. Yet we must not stop. I believe the best way to honor her memory is for us to overcome this grief and continue striving towards a leprosy-free world.”
—Yohei Sasakawa
