ANGELINA

By Standing Voice

August 21^st, 2019

People used to spit at me when I first met them.

They believed that if they didn’t spit at me, they would have children with albinism themselves.

Growing up, my mother was always very loving. Sadly, my father was not; he loved my brothers and sisters more because they didn’t have albinism.

I faced many challenges at school. Because of my poor vision, I needed to sit at the front of the class to see the blackboard, but my fellow students would shout at me because I was tall and obscured their view. Once, I wrote a note to my teacher asking for help - he didn’t do anything.

I did badly in most of my school examinations because I couldn’t read the questions written on the board. One time, my teacher typed out the questions and gave everyone their own paper. I was able to read the questions clearly and excelled in that examination! My peers were shocked that they had done worse than a person with albinism.

I started running small businesses once I’d completed primary school, mainly selling tomatoes and potatoes. I was very successful, earning enough to buy a mattress, sofa set and radio for my house. I did not face discrimination because my sister had a good reputation for her work in the mining industry: it reached a point where I started to forget I had albinism.

In 2002 I joined the Tanzania Albinism Society, where I eventually met Standing Voice. At that time, some hospitals gave treatment to people with albinism but they didn’t have the supplies to offer sunscreen, which was very expensive. Standing Voice provide access to important lotions, sunscreen and treatment. We are so thankful for that.

This year, I attended Standing Voice’s Summer Skills tailoring workshop. I tried tailoring many years ago, but the course was too short and I didn’t learn enough. Still, I bought a sewing machine to use at home, although it’s currently broken. After this workshop, I feel more confident cutting fabrics and creating patterns; I can make lots of different things now. I’m inspired by my fellow participants with albinism, and I feel motivated to continue learning and developing my skills so I can be a successful tailor back home. I even think I’ll be able to fix my machine now!