#WeAreNotDifferent
The Integrated Health Organization (IHO) joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Albinism Awareness Day, on 13 June, 2018 under the theme ‘‘Shining our Light to the World.’’ This day serves as a reminder on the various challenges encountered by albinos and the need for us to collectively fight in making our environments a safe haven for them.
Albinism is an inherited genetic disorder which causes the skin, hair or eyes to have little or no colour as a result of little or no melanin production. Children at risk of being born with albinism are those whose parents are albinos or are carriers of the gene for albinism. Albinism usually occurs with vision problems such as; crossed eyes (strabismus), sensitivity to light (photophobia), involuntary rapid eye movements (nystagmus), and in worst case scenario’s impaired vision or blindness.
As we celebrate this day, we take the opportunity to remind everyone that albinos are not an outcast and deserve no discriminatory attitude from other people. We are not different from them, and certainly not defined by our skin colour. They are no less of a human than us. We therefore urge on everyone out there to discontinue every kind of stigma and discriminatory attitude towards albinos with emphasis on the women and children. Equity is what we stand and advocate for. Judging our fellow humans by the colour of their skin makes us no better than racist. We are one Africa and one Cameroon.
For this reason, IHO uses this opportunity therefore to call on all governmental and non-governmental organizations, local stake holders, and humanitarians to increase advocacy work by properly educating the masses with messages that discredit the old-fashioned myths on albinism.
#WeAreNotDifferent
Cynthia Adanze Nge (Coordinator, IHO)
(B.Sc. Microbiology, MPH)
Email 1: info@integratedhealth-organization.org
Email 2: ngecynthia22@gmail.com