Children with Disabilities

PERSPECTIVE
Living with albinism,
discrimination and superstition
By Michael Hosea
Michael Hosea was born in 1995.
He is the eldest of six children and
one of three persons with albinism
in his immediate family. He lives
in Dodoma, United Republic of
Tanzania, and is about to graduate
from school. He advocates for
the rights of young people with
disabilities, particularly those with
albinism, through the Leonard
Cheshire Disability Young Voices
network.
I was born in Mwanza, the
second largest city in the
United Republic of Tanzania.
I am the eldest son and live
with my siblings and parents in
Dodoma, the capital. There are
six children in our family; one
of my sisters and one of my
brothers are also albinos.
The impairments caused by
my condition make life very
difficult. I always have trouble
with the sun and have to cover
up with heavy, long-sleeved
clothing and wear sunglasses
6 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2013: Children with Disabilities
to protect my eyes. I also have
troubles at school. Sometimes
I can’t see the blackboard, and
I always have to sit in the
shade. This country does
not have sufficient visionenhancing
technology, such
as glasses, magnifiers and
special computer equipment,
and without it children with
albinism have a hard time
graduating from school and
finding employment. My family
is poor, so getting money for
school fees is also difficult.
Life is complicated even more
by the way people treat us.
There is a lot of discrimination
against people with albinism,
and I sometimes lack the company
of friends. Some people
also believe horrible myths
about us: that we are not
human and never die, that
albinism is a curse from the
gods and that anyone who
touches us will be cursed.
Worst of all, practitioners of
witchcraft hunt and kill us to
use our hair, body parts and
organs in charms and potions.
For centuries some people
have believed that if they go
to a witch doctor with albino