These vans visit villages to educate people about maintaining good health and informing them about the symptoms of leprosy, LF and other prevalent diseases. Lepra has also visited schools to provide health education. This education includes teaching children the symptoms of leprosy so they can recognise the disease in themselves and their families. School visits are also an important step in dispelling leprosy myths and the stigma surrounding the disease. Lepra works with governments to improve health worker training. Lepra also trains traditional doctors to recognise the symptoms of leprosy and other neglected diseases so they can refer patients to government facilities when needed. To fill in the gaps in the health service, Lepra also works with community health volunteers who are trained to recognise symptoms and work in their own communities to spread health messages, follow up on cases, and refer suspected cases of illness to the correct health facilities. Advocacy and fighting prejudice People with leprosy or other diseases such as lymphatic filariasis often face stigma and prejudice from their communities, the government, or even their families. Such stigma often remains long after a person has been cured. Many people who have leprosy or used to have leprosy are forced to live in leprosy colonies across India and Bangladesh, isolated from their families and communities. Lepra aims to fight prejudice and stigma by providing health education to the general population, as well as health worker training. Lepra also provides support to people who face leprosy and other diseases in the form of counselling services at the Munger Referral Centre. Lepra is actively working with national and state networks of people affected by leprosy and disability across India and Bangladesh to fight legal discrimination. This can involve educating clients about rights to land, disability and old age benefits, and basic human rights, and finding opportunities for clients to meet with government representatives and local authorities. Self-help groups In 2012 Lepra began self-help groups in India, Bangladesh and Mozambique for those affected by LF and leprosy. These groups advise people on how to best help themselves with health care and income generation. At each meeting, members of the self-help groups make a small financial contribution to a group fund. This fund is then used to provide members with an interest-free business loan to finance business initiatives such as a local shop, goat rearing, or tailoring. Members of the group are