History
The
Association was founded on
7th
December 1966
,
on the initiative of Raoul Follereau. FFL was officially declared a national
Luxembourg
public service institution in 1984. As attested in its mission statement, the
foundation is dedicated to promoting solidarity between people and
participating in the fight against leprosy and "all 
leprosy".
This is carried out with complete independence and impartiality from all
political, religious or social influences. FFL also aims to increase awareness
in
Luxembourg
of the plight of underprivileged populations, through continuous public
education and communication. FFL was a founding Member Association of ILEP.
Priorities
FFL
has been given Non-Governmental Organisation Status by the Luxembourg
Government, and as such the foundation benefits from state financing for its
projects within the framework of
Luxembourg
law. Apart from collaboration in projects for the eradication of leprosy and
tuberculosis within the framework of ILEP, FFL has invested in socio-economic
projects for cured leprosy patients, the eradication of Buruli ulcer in
association with local organizations and, more recently, in rural development
projects. Since the creation of Follereau-Children in 1990, (a special program
dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged children), FFL has created
partnerships with organizations specialized in this field, which are working
in
Mali
,
the
Philippines
and
Benin
.
FFL
is a founder member of the Circle of Solidarity Follereau-Damien, whose
principal goal is to promote the philosophy of Raoul Follereau and Father
Damien.
