I’d like to start with a big thank you to everyone who
donated sunhats, cream and glasses for the albinos. We have a good collection
now to suit all ages which is amazing and means they can try several on to get
the best fit. At Rehema we get albinos coming in for help but now we have lots
of items i would love to be able to hold a day where we invite lots of albinos
and and distribute the hats etc but also be able to spend time with them and
educate them in the importance of the cream and hats but also to spend time
talking about God and his love for them.
Albinism is a genetically inherited condition where the
person has a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and eyes causing them to be
vulnerable to sun exposure and bright light. They are at high risk of skin
cancer and lack of suncream and wide brimmed hats lead to epidemic rates of
skin cancer in all ages. The average life expectancy for an albino in Tanzania
is 30 years but in countries with adequate health care an albino has the same
life expectancy as the general population. There are powerful myths concerning
albinos because of a lack of education of the medical causes. This lack of
knowledge leads to people killing albinos as they believe that their body parts
possess magical powers capable of bringing riches when used in witch doctors
potions. Others kill albinos as they believe that they are a curse, bring bad
luck and are a punishment from god. Another myth is that albinos are born to a
black woman who has slept with a white man. The father of the child will accuse
the mother of being unfaithful and abandon her and the child. The chid will
then often be treated as unwanted and in many cases are killed.
I admit that when i was on a go mad trip in October and we
visited the disability school where there are lots of albino children i was a
little bit freaked out. It was just as we were approaching in the truck and
there were so many of them around that i was a little bit apprehensive. It’s
not like i believe any of the myths about them which are just horrendous but
previous to this visit i had only seen a few albinos walking around and always
quite far away and it was a shock to see so many and then they sang ‘we are
marching in the light of god’ in English which just threw me a bit! After
spending time with them i felt so bad for how i had first felt. They were just
like any other children. Since then i have come into contact with many more and
am currently helping an albino family that i have previously spoken about. We
are going to visit them this week which i am very much looking forward to.
Before, albinism was something that i just saw and heard spoken about but i
never really thought much about how horrific their lives are and how each day
they must fear for their lives plus face their physical problems. As you may
have realised by now, i am keen to learn as much as i can to be able to help
them.
Last week, the son of a friend of
ours became very sick. He had a malaria count of 800. Normally a count of 4 is
bad. It was awful to see him in the hospital so ill and his face was scrunched
up in so much pain. A little bit later we discovered the cause for such
pain...he had a huge worm in him. After the worm passed out of him he looked
more comfortable but still had a very high temperature. We went back the next
day and he was so much better. He completed his medicine and now praise God he
is doing much better. It was tough seeing a boy of 4 years old fighting for his
life but i found it was also a reminder to me how precious life is and without
Rehema there to help he wouldn’t be here today. I don’t say that to boast but
to encourage everyone that the money is being used to make a difference to
everyday situations like this one.
Low point of the week -This week was a very sad week as it
saw the departure of the Go Mad team that have been here with us since January.
They arrived a week after me and the last few months would definitely not have
been the same without them here. They were so welcoming of me every time i
joined them on projects, at church, for parties and dinners and i made some
good friends that i will miss very much. Most lunch times they would pop by
rehema and it was great to hear about what they had been up to and what was
going on with people in the village. It’s not like the compound is going to be
quiet without them though as more teams are arriving throughout the summer.
Highlight of the week- This week Nat and I had a city break
in Mwanza! I needed to meet up with a guy who does work for Rehema and Nat
needed to stock up on things for the cafe. It was the perfect opportunity to
have a night away and visit the beautiful supermarket. It is the first time we
had done the journey on our own but thankfully had no problems at all. We had
air con and a tv in the room we were staying in
which was amazing, even though i did freak out when i first picked up
the remote as it felt such an alien thing to be holding! We explored a bit but
both of us just wanted to get to the supermarket! This time there were more
white people around so i had to contain my excitement a little bit but we still
had a great time browsing the shelves and seeing familiar brands. I would like
to be able to say we did a sensible grown up shop but that is so not true! We
came away with a fairly unhealthy bag of shopping but one that will see us
through the next 6 (maybe 3) months! Highlight was when we just happened to pop
into this little shop on the street and found milkybar chocolate!
Forgot to say in my last blog that I have sent some gorgeous
Rehema products home for mum and dad to sell so if you are interested in buying
some beautiful bags, table runners, cards, giraffes and much much more then
please get in touch with them or me. All the money from the sales will go
straight to helping women and children living in desperate situations.
