Beauty Beyond The Skin

In Africa, Albanism is associated with many negative misconceptions and superstitions. Seen as a punishment from God or bad luck, even a contagious ‘disease’, people living with albinism (PWA) in Africa often suffer stigma, alienation and physical abuse. In extreme cases albino body parts sold to witchdoctors fetch more than a lifetime of wages. According to the Albino Association of Kenya, 90% of people with albinism in Kenya come from broken homes, raised by single mothers. Albinism has the potential to affect young people both emotionally and psychologically with social attitudes often effecting how they perceive themselves. Evidence from the research literature suggests that for a child to be socially competent he or she needs to have a positive self-concept and demonstrate socially acceptable behaviours. In October 2016, under the banner “Beauty Beyond The Skin”, the Albinism Society of Kenya (ASK) organized the World's first Mr & Ms Albanism Pageant, to fight the stigma associated with albinism and to build the confidence of albino youth in Kenya. Not only raising money for Albino’s cancer treatment, counseling and for the provision of sunscreen lotion which helps in prevention of skin cancer, the Pageant event championed for better medical services for the challenges that are characteristic of the condition and brings to light the need to address all violations of human rights.