International Albinism Awareness Day was celebrated in Kinshasa on June 13 by the NGO IPAS in collaboration with the Mwimba Texas Foundation. This day was marked by a meeting of intergenerational exchanges on this disease and the sexual and reproductive health rights of albino women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This disease, which affects more women than men, is more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where UN estimates vary between 1 in 5,000 and 1 in 15,000 people.
The objective of this day was to sensitize people with albinism so that they accept themselves and to remove all the barriers around this disease. Gloire Mwimba Makiese, coordinator of the Foundation, stressed the importance of treating these people from childhood for their future development.
Several testimonies were shared on the spot, highlighting the difficulties encountered by albinos on a daily basis, in particular albino women who are often victims of sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancies, and therefore unable to take care of themselves, as well as their children. The president of an NGO called “Un pas ensemble”, Marie-Thérèse Matayo, insisted on the crucial role played by the family and loved ones of people with albinism in their development.
The representative of the NGO IPAS, Patience Lisika, recalled the objectives of the day, which are to sensitize the albino and non-albino community on the right to sexual and reproductive health, to raise awareness of albinos not to give in to discrimination , to encourage albinos to go beyond their handicap and to facilitate access to safe abortion services for albinos.
Finally, this day allowed people with albinism or relatives of people with albinism to meet and discuss their respective experiences. It has made it possible to give a voice to people with albinism, to break taboos and to fight against discrimination, to enable them to assert themselves and pursue their dreams, despite the difficulties encountered.