Archive of the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations

The following is an interim description which may change when detailed cataloguing takes place in future:

Organisational archive of the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations as follows:

Documentary material including core records such as annual reports, financial records, commitee, international meetings, technical commission and assembly records, files relating to individual countries and member organisations, training, teaching, education and learning materials, subject files.
Various national and international leprosy journals
Grey literature on leprosy care and treatment produced by ILEP and other leprosy and health organisations
Publications issued by ILEP and other organisations about leprosy
Audio-visual material

c.1956-2015

114 boxes, 1 o/s folder

Eighty-five boxes of material was donated to the library at Wellcome Collection by ILEP and was acquired on 03/10/2014. Two photographs were acquired on 12/03/2015 from ILEP. A further 29 boxes of material was donated on 16/03/2015 prior to the London office being closed down and an office in Geneva being established.

ILEP (ELEP) was born out of a need to co-ordinate the work of anti-leprosy organisations supporting activities in leprosy endemic countries, in order to prevent overlap and avoid duplication in funding. By pooling resources ILEP (ELEP) Member Associations were and are able to use them in a more effective way and reach more patients. Equally this unity extends to a sharing of expertise and local knowledge, thus optimising the impact of the Federation on the global campaign against leprosy.

Pierre Van den Wijngaert, General Secretary of Les Amis du Père Damien (Damien Foundation), was the catalyst who propelled the creation of the Federation in 1966. Inspired too by the recent creation of the Common Market in Europe, and with the support of Raoul Follereau, he rallied support of various anti-leprosy organisations and organised a series of meetings to discuss ways to work together using a federal model. These moves culminated in this series of landmark events:

The 2nd October 1965 meeting in Brussels of the first working group of the European Anti-Leprosy Associations.

The formation in Berne on 25th September 1966 of the European Co-ordinating Committee of Anti-Leprosy Associations.

The constitution in Paris on 19 April 1969 of ELEP under the name The European Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations.

The legal recognition of ELEP in France on 25 October 1971.

The adoption of internationalism in 1975 becoming the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP).

Move of the ILEP Secretariat to London in September 1979.

The adoption of a new Constitution and Bye-Laws on 31 March 2006, favouring more effective and efficient governance.

Pierre Van den Wijngaert became the first General Secretary of ELEP and remained in this position until the end of 1989. He was responsible for establishing the co-ordination structure, which today remains the hallmark of the Federation.

Source: ILEP website.

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.