In Africa, the albino population has been suffering social persecution for years due to magical and witchcraft beliefs. During 2023, up to 711 attacks were recorded, of which 242 resulted in deaths, according to Under The Same Sun, an organization in defense of albino people. The NGO Beyond Suncare has been denouncing this problem for years through the project Defense and promotion of the right to life, health and safety of albino people in Malawi. On Wednesday, this was selected, along with 27 other programs, by the “La Caixa” Foundation to invest a total of 1,046,958 euros distributed for each project.
Mafalda Soto, a pharmacist specializing in tropical medicine, is the director of Beyond Suncare. After nine years between Malawi and Tanzania, she realized that albinos suffered repression. When she returned to Spain, in 2017, she founded this NGO. The entity has offices in Tanzania and Malawi, where there is the most crime, with 206 and 69 cases respectively. In addition, they also operate in other countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.
Beyond Suncare’s work consists of the local production of sun creams, decentralized and free distribution, education and awareness campaigns as a method to educate the population. Soto pointed out “lack of knowledge” as one of the main causes of this social persecution.
Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition that reduces the melanin pigment in the eyes, hair and especially in the skin. People who suffer from it are more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation and, in some cases, it can lead to the loss of up to 70% of vision. In sub-Saharan African countries, the birth of an albino person is interpreted as the consequence of superstition or an evil eye. “There is also the thought that the cure for AIDS is to have sexual relations with albino people, which has led to cases of rape of women. And graves of albino people have been desecrated because their limbs are considered very valuable,” adds Soto.
In Spain the situation is very different. “The probability of suffering from this dermatological disorder in Spain is 1 person in every 20,000, while in this area of Africa it is 1 in every 2,500,” said the director of Beyond Suncare, who considers the support of institutions an “urgent need.” and international administration.
Africa is the continent with the most sun and for albinos it represents a high risk. At the same time, it is the poorest territory and has the most limited resources to solve this situation. This leads Beyond Suncare to raise funds for a conflict that is far from Spain. Receiving this investment from “La Caixa” is an impetus to continue working to protect the human rights of albinos and try to put an end to their persecution.