Sasakawa Health Foundation

Website: https://www.shf.or.jp
Address: The Nippon Foundation Bldg.,5F, 1-2-2, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
Year Founded: 1974

Outline of Activities

One of Sasakawa Health Foundation’s principal objectives is to achieve a world without Hansen’s disease and the discrimination it causes. In addition to promoting early detection and treatment, we also support the empowerment of individuals and families affected by Hansen’s disease to enable them to live with dignity as full members of society. Through these activities, we also place emphasis on preserving the history of the disease and the testimonies of those whose lives it has impacted as an important legacy of humankind. In these efforts, we collaborate closely with governments, UN agencies including the World Health Organization, people’s organizations and NGOs.

Another of our principal objectives is to promote community health in Japan. For many years, we have been providing palliative care programs through research grants, training of medical personnel and public awareness and education. Since 2014, we have offered a training program to produce home care nurses equipped with the business skills to run Community Health Hubs in Japan’s “super-aging” society. We also support the development of networks of home care nurses, doctors and other experts to strengthen capacity and build up expertise in community health. 

In the field of public health, our activities include the Chernobyl-Sasakawa Health and Medical Cooperation Project, the WHO Sasakawa Health Prize, the FAPA Ishidate Awards and efforts in the area of neglected tropical diseases.