also trained in group management skills, self-care, or advocacy skills. Community disability care and protective footwear Lepra teaches people how to care for their disabilities, so they are not left unable to work, and also provides people with protective footwear so they can get around more easily. Lepra organises self-care camps in local communities where people can learn how to care for their disabilities through cleaning and physiotherapy techniques that they can then do at home. People with disabilities are invited to demonstrate to others how they can prevent infection and reduce the severity of their disabilities. Lepra also provides basic self-care kits to people free of charge. These kits include a bar of soap, anti-bacterial ointment, cream to prevent fungal infections, and a towel. Lepra provides people with leprosy and LF with specialist, made-to-fit shoes designed for each individual. Shoes provide comfort, encourage healing of wounds and ulcers, and prevent further injury and disability. They can also restore a person's dignity and challenge stigma within the community. Several shoe technicians are working in clinics and referral centres, while Lepra also has a few shoe vans driving across India providing the service to local communities. Referral centres When Lepra first sett up referral centres, people with leprosy were not allowed into hospitals or did not receive proper treatment due to stigma and doctors not specialising in the disease. Now, Lepra's referral centres provide services in areas where health facilities are lacking or unable to manage neglected diseases like leprosy or LF, and the disabilities they can cause. The services offered at these referral centres include testing, treatment, disability care, physiotherapy, ulcer care, reconstructive surgery and counselling to people affected by diseases as well as their families. Lepra runs their referral centres in partnership with state and national health systems. They are often located in government health centres and hospitals. Ultimately, the aim is to hand them over to governments to ensure their sustainability. Research and innovation Lepra is one of the world's leading authorities on leprosy. Over the years, Lepra has conducted pioneering research in the treatment of leprosy and has been at the forefront of developing a cure and trialling a multitude of drug treatments. Today research still forms an important part of Lepra's work, carrying out both scientific and field research to further knowledge of neglected diseases and the effects they have on poor communities. Recent research has