In honor of International Albinism Day I am posting a portrait of Florence, 19, and her daughter, Evelyn, 2 from a story I did last year on children with #albinism in #uganda. Sadly, Evelyn has passed away this month due to typhoid. Tragically, the village has refused to accept her body for burial. Children born with albinism suffer cultural myths fed to uneducated communities by witch doctors - that they are magical, a curse on their families or called derogatory names like 'pigs' or 'ghosts' because of the color of their skin.Please contact http://humanityhealing.org/ to find out ways to support the family. Florence was working one day as a digger along the hills outside Kotido, a town in western Uganda, when she was approached by a stranger and raped. The assault was so remote, no one could hear her screams, she recalls. Upon returning to her village her family sought out the perpetrator to no avail. When she found out she was pregnant, Florence did what she could and found a man with whom she could raise a family. Florence’s plans for a normal life, however, quickly unraveled when her daughter Evelyn was born with albinism. The man refused to accept the child and threw her out. Her father also refused her. Florence was forced to flee to the same hills where the seed for so much strife took root. With the help of a local advocate, Michael Sabiiti and the District Chief Florence and her daughter were placed back with their family, although there is still internal family tension and discrimination towards them. Not only do these myths dangerously cloud the fact that this is simply medical condition that needs attention with simple things like sunblock, hats or glasses, they create a culture of fear and violence towards them. #notghosts #albinismawareness @amnesty @everydayafrica (at Uganda)
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