07 Jun 2018

Albinism Society of Botswana (ASB) will celebrate the International Day of Albinism on  June 13 in Mochudi under the theme: Social challenges and how to remove them.

The event would be held at the main kgotla, where all people living with albinism in Botswana are expected to converge.

Speaking during a press conference in Mochudi, the chairperson of the society, Mr Yellowman Kgosietsile said the objective of the day was to bring all people living with albinism in Botswana together to celebrate the day and learn from each other.

He said their focus was to advocate for the recognition and respect of the rights and social inclusion of people living with albinism.

Mr Kgosietsile, who is also a councillor in Gaborone, said the albanism society should not ask for donations only, but should help those who were in need through advocacy.

He noted that the country has not yet signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which made it difficult for the country to take responsibility of the health care needs of albinos.

He said should the convention be signed, albinos would be taken care of much better than they were as their condition needed extra care and love.

Mr Kgosietsile further said their condition demanded that they go for checkups at least twice a year, but that there were some who did not even go for a checkup in two years, adding that it made them susceptable to skin cancer.

He added that without government support, it would be difficult for albinos in the country to access the right medication.

On other issies, Mr Kgosietsile said since the establishment of the society in 2005, they have made great strides. He noted that they undertook educational campaigns to sensitise people about albinism and instil self-confidence in the albinos.

He also said they urged government to come up with inclusive laws that recognised albinos, and that a petition was handed to government stating the rights and needs of albinos and what government should do to help them.

The president of the society, Mr Freizer Gaonakala said albinos faced numerous challenges in their daily lives among them short sightedness, which led them to perform poorly academically. 

Mr Gaonakala argued that they needed teachers who understood them and would give them an opportunity to learn by understanding their disability.

He further said some people discriminated against them as they spitted saliva whenever they meet an albino. 

He also said some parents left their children in the sun believing that they would get pigmentated, not knowing that exposure to the sun caused skin cancer.  

Mr Gaonakala said when they applied for job opportunities some people looked down upon them and did not take them seriously.

Meanwhile, Mr Kgosietsile unveiled their sponsors among them Techno Technologies as the main sponsor, Ideal Company, Prime Media Outdoor, Legola Media, Gaborone Private Hospital, among others, as well as individual doctors who carried out skin cancer testing.

He said Bokamoso Private Hospital would undertake eye testing to help those in need of spectacles.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Bana Sekai said it was important for the albino community to be accorded the opportunity to present themselves so that people could understand who they were.

He said demeaning and stigmatising them should be dealt away with, as they were human beings with the same rights as others who also deserved respect.

Kgosi Sekai further said the albinism awareness day would create a platform for albinos to present their case and showcase their worth.

In his vote of thanks, Member of Parliament for Mochudi East, Mr Moagi Molebatsi said they were aware that albinos were facing a lot of challenges and that they needed help. He said muti killings continue to be a worrisome trend of evil people who wanted to enrich themselves, adding that the issue needed to be addressed.

Mr Molebatsi further said government should ratify the UN convention on persons living with disability. ENDS