MS Connections campaign organised for World Multiple Sclerosis Day

On 30th May, World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day is commemorated globally to raise awareness and unite the MS community. The theme for World MS Day 2020-2023 is ‘connections,’ focusing on community connection, self-connection, and connections to quality care. The campaign, known as MS Connections, aims to challenge social barriers that contribute to loneliness and isolation among people affected by MS. It also advocates for improved services, celebrates support networks, and emphasizes self-care. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, serves as the nodal body responsible for the development agenda of persons with disabilities in the country. To create awareness about Multiple Sclerosis, the DEPwD observed World Multiple Sclerosis Day on 30th May 2023 through various events held at over 40 locations across India. The designated theme color for MS Day is orange, and organizations illuminate their buildings in orange on this day. Several activities were organized nationwide, including awareness generation programs, seminars, workshops, quiz competitions, poster making, distribution of teaching-learning material (TLM) kits, webinars on self-advocacy, government schemes, benefits for persons with MS, national webinars on MS awareness and sensitization, door-to-door physical screening camps, webinars on comprehensive care and early intervention in schizophrenia, distribution of aid and assistive devices, and a skit to raise awareness about MS.