Yohei Sasakawa is probably best known for his work in the leprosy colonies in Africa and Asia. As Goodwill Ambassador to the World Health Organisation, he has travelled tirelessly to promote understanding of the disease and establish programmes targeting its elimination. Other causes in which he has played a prominent role is the tackling of famine in Africa and the nurturing of world leaders, the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF), a grant-in-aid program that has provided million-dollar endowments to 68 universities and consortia in 44 countries. Sasakawa has also extended his focus on global education to maritime development with the creation of major scholarships at the World Maritime University, the International Maritime Law Institute, and the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the sea.