Greetings from Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF), Nigeria, I hope this meets us all well in this brand New Year!

I come to you with good news on our campaign and advocacy for World Vitiligo Day June 25th, we are making progress. For those who are coming in contact with this advocacy and campaign for the first time, World Vitiligo Day Initiative is the international awareness and fundraising day for all Vitiligo persons, organization and support groups. It is our collective effort to drive extensive global Vitiligo Awareness, to help ease the psychological effects of Vitiligo, to put us out of misery and silent pain majority of us go through, effectively educate the public and bring Vitiligo cause to World center stage.

This initiative will help ease all the misunderstanding of the general public, neglect and underestimation of both the public and medical community and at same time improve our Quality of Life (QoL), self-esteem as well as self-confidence. The more we can get people engaged in understanding what Vitiligo is, the better it is for those who are living with it. Mary Cleveland, Executive Director, NVFI.

In 2011, Vitiligo Awareness Day, June 25th (World Vitiligo Day) was marked in different parts of the World such as in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Vitiligo Bond, USA, My Vitiligo World, Indonesia, Vitiligo persons and the public on social media and across the globe.

View 2011 World Vitiligo Day June 25th on the underlisted links

• Facebook page – World Vitiligo Day, 25 June
• VITSAF, Nigeria
• South Africa
• In Kenya
• Facebook – World Vitiligo day 2011 with friends in USA
• Facebook – My Vitiligo World, Indonesia/etc…

We are continuing effort as the ultimate goal is to get June 25th approved officially by UN as World Vitiligo Day. In 2011 we called out late to organizations to observe the day, thereby making most organization unable to plan an event, today many organizations are already getting prepared for June 25th, 2012, we are 5months away and it's fairly enough time for us to plan an event to mark World Vitiligo Day, June 25th, 2012.

What is our goal for 2012?

This year our target is 100,000 signature petitions to address the United Nations in order to:

• Recognize this neglected and debilitating disease associated with severe social complications, and to
• Recognize the urgent need to pursue multilateral efforts in therapy development and health-care education, and ultimately to
• Designate June 25 as the World Vitiligo Day to be observed by the United Nations and Member States every year, for the prevention, treatment and care of Vitiligo in line with the sustainable development of national health-care systems.
• And to improve quality of life (QoL) of persons distressed by Vitiligo, improve the public's understanding of the condition and ultimately achieve extensive Vitiligo Awareness Globally.

Am very positive that we can achieve 100,000 signature petitions visiting this link to UN if we collectively drive it, with no doubt and in all humility I appeal for your support, collaboration and partnership to drive this more than ever before.

Why is June 25th suggested as World Vitiligo Day?
June 25th is a significant date in the Vitiligo calendar because it marks the passing date of pop-star Michael Jackson, the most famous man that lived with Vitiligo. His life with Vitiligo brought awareness to Vitiligo as most people heard about Vitiligo for the first time as it concerns Michael Jackson and today some already refer to Vitiligo as Michael Jackson's disease. His death attracted about 4million hits on Vitiligo websites in a few days. Michael Jackson even in death is still being misunderstood about his change in skin color, a kind of misunderstanding majority with Vitiligo still face today.

How can I support this worthy initiative?

• Our petitions to UN for World Vitiligo Day June 25th is online on World Vitiligo Day – 25 June petition to UN, Please do sign if you haven't and please do share with friends, colleagues, families, media and more. Please join forces with us to achieve this
• If you wish to Embed this petition to your website – please send a mail to vitsaf@vitsaf.org for the widget.
• We also invite people with Vitiligo to participate in our ebook project, we are calling on Vitiligo persons and or a family member from different Continents and Countries who would want to share a 200words of their journey with Vitiligo and how they think an International Awareness Day for Vitiligo World Vitiligo Day will help alleviate most challenges of persons with Vitiligo. This will be accompanied with a good photograph of yourself and an email contact. (The email contact will not be published, it's for verification)
• You can generate an announcement on podcast, radio or television stressing upon Vitiligo World Day - June 25th.

Our Theme for World Vitiligo Day June 25th, 2012 is '˜The way we are'. Please share your comments, ideas and suggestions here as it means so much to us, lets discuss this.

World Vitiligo Day links
Facebook page – World Vitiligo Day, please like the page, thank you.
25June.org

Together We CAN achieve!

Very Sincerely yours
Ogo Maduewesi
Email – vitsaf@vitsaf.org, vitsupng@gmail.com
phone – +234702 516 5280