iLeap
Introduction
The India-Lead Elimination Action Project (i-LEAP) initiative by the Pahle India Foundation addresses the critical issue of lead poisoning in India. Lead poisoning affects one in two children in India, causing lifelong health issues. (Source: UNICEF Pure Earth - The Toxic Truth, 2020)
Key results
To mitigate the grave public health threat posed by lead poisoning, they are in the process of conducting comprehensive state-level interventions across India. As part of their strategic efforts to combat lead poisoning, they are executing in-depth state assessments across India, focusing on 3 aspects:
Prevalence of Lead Exposure: Testing Blood Lead Levels (BLL) in pregnant women and children to assess the severity of lead exposure in vulnerable populations.
Ecosystem Contamination: Evaluating lead contamination in key sources, household and environmental, within the states.
Regulatory and Health System Gaps: Identifying critical gaps in the regulatory framework and healthcare systems that hinder effective lead poisoning prevention and management and recommending strategies to overcome them.
Apart from generating actionable insights, they also drive policy reforms, foster greater public awareness, and mobilize key stakeholders. They undertake a wide range of impactful initiatives such as:
Comprehensive Research Hub:
Developed a pioneering research portal that consolidates India-specific and global studies on lead poisoning, serving as a crucial tool for informed decision-making and policy formulation.
Conducted and published a primary survey, in association with USAID with 250 doctors and Community Health Officers in the state of Jharkhand to gauge their awareness of lead, its symptoms, sources, and treatment modalities.
Conducted a study to understand the informal Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) Recycling ecosystem, through desk reviews as well as semi-structured interviews with ULAB workers in the city of Patna, Bihar.
Secondary Research and Media Outreach:
Conducted extensive secondary research including a study on “Global Best Practices for Eliminating Lead Poisoning” in association with WHO India as well as a study on “Lead Poisoning: A Review of the Indian Legal Framework and International Frameworks”.
Authored and published over 50 influential articles in prominent Indian and international platforms, significantly raising the profile of lead poisoning as a public health emergency.
Transformative Advocacy, Awareness, and Multisectoral Collaboration:
Organised more than 10 strategic events, including state-level roundtables and convenings that brought together key stakeholders—government officials, research institutions, healthcare leaders, NGOs and multilateral institutions such as WHO, UNICEF, Asian Development Bank, World Bank etc—to collaboratively tackle the lead poisoning crisis in India.
What does i-LEAP do?
I-LEAP unites relevant stakeholders to combat lead poisoning in India. Guided by public health and policy experts, the team conducts research, develops policy recommendations, and raises awareness through state roundtables and events. They’ve formed the India Working Group on Lead Poisoning to strategize solutions across medical, scientific, and policy sectors. They initiate regular meetings with government officials, multilateral institutions, and NGOs to share progress and explore collaboration opportunities.
Why we partner with i-LEAP
Pahle India Foundation, which administers the i-LEAP program in India, is one of India's premier non-profit research policy think tanks, founded by Former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar in 2013.
They have received a grant from one of our partner grantmakers and evaluators, Open Philanthropy, to support policy research and conduct national convening events aimed at advancing lead exposure mitigation and prevalence measurement in India.
AdditIonally, they have been supported by Pure Earth and Schmidt Futures (now Renaissance Philanthropy) with project specific funding.
Recently, they were invited to join the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, the first ever global public-private partnership, led by USAID and UNICEF and launched at the United Nations General Assembly, to fight lead poisoning on a global scale.
Considering the scale of the issue and the urgent, critical attention it deserves, Impactful Giving partners with Pahle India Foundation to support their work fighting lead poisoning in India.