8th July 2014

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.

Last but not least, i randomly found this song last week and absolutely love it so just thought i would share this thought provoking and challenging song with you... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OaqjPt8phA