ADRA’s AFRICA project in Tanzania supports children with albinism and their mothers through inclusive education, health care, and livelihood training—breaking stigma, restoring dignity, and helping communities choose compassion over fear.
Breaking stereotypes is never easy. But change always begins the same way—with someone choosing to see another person for who they are inside.
In the East African country of Tanzania, the sun rises bright and unrelenting each morning. For most, its warmth signals the start of a new day. But, for people living with albinism, that same sun can bring danger.
Tanzania has one of the highest rates of albinism in the world: about one in every 1,400 people. Tens of thousands of Tanzanians live with fragile skin, impaired vision, and risks that extend far beyond physical health. Many carry the heavier weight of fear, stigma, and misunderstanding.
For generations, people with albinism have struggled with difficult obstacles. Some have been excluded from society. Others have suffered from violence. Too many, especially women and children, have learned to stay hidden, pushed to the edges of their communities simply because they look different.
Even school, which should be a place of safety and possibility, can be filled with silent difficulties. Many children with albinism struggle with bad eyesight and can’t see what is written on the blackboard. Text in books blurs. Bright sunlight streaming through classroom windows strains sensitive eyes. Without proper support, these challenges often lead to frustration, falling behind, or eventually dropping out. Limited education narrows future opportunities, reinforcing cycles of poverty and dependence.
These people need justice. They need active compassion. They need love.
Through the Action for the Rights and Inclusion of Children with Albinism (AFRICA) project, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and its partners are walking alongside families in Tanzania, choosing presence over indifference and dignity over neglect. With support from ADRA Denmark and Danmarks Indsamling, a charity fundraiser in Denmark, the project focuses on 400 children with albinism and their mothers or guardians, addressing urgent needs while laying foundations for lasting change.
The work often begins unobtrusively, in classrooms and community spaces. Teachers are trained to support children with low vision. School health clubs use music, dance, and drama to teach inclusion. Environments are created where children can learn, play, and belong without shame. Children learn how to protect their skin and eyes, and their peers learn what it means to live alongside someone who is living with albinism. Awareness begins to replace fear.
Teachers are also guided in simple but meaningful adjustments, such as seating children closer to the front of the class, enlarging learning materials, and encouraging classmates to share notes. These small acts of intentional inclusion help ensure that children with albinism are not merely present in school but truly participating.
Reshmi is ten years old and in the fourth grade. She lives with albinism and asthma. Some days, the simplest tasks require extraordinary effort. Seeing the blackboard is difficult. Reading small print can be exhausting. Yet she continues to show up each day, determined to learn.
“I feel encouraged by my fellow students, friends, and teachers,” she says. “They love me, care for me, and show me support at school. When the teacher gives assignments, my fellow students share their notebooks so I can copy class notes. I’m able to do my assignments well.”
In a classroom where understanding is growing, Reshmi is not defined by what she can’t see, but by what she can become.
Through the AFRICA project, ADRA also supports mothers. By forming savings groups and supporting income-generating activities, the project helps women build sustainable livelihoods. When mothers are strengthened, entire families grow stronger. Dignity is restored and dependence reduced, allowing families to better support their children’s education and health.
Reshmi’s mother, Naomi Andrew Mhadisa, knows this journey well. She is a mother of three, two of whom live with albinism. For years, healthcare was a constant worry, an unanswered prayer. But through the AFRICA project, her children received health insurance cards, opening doors to timely treatment and care.
“I thank ADRA,” Naomi says. “The groups for mothers bring hope and unity. When a woman is supported, she will take care of her family.”
In Tanzania, ADRA is helping communities break the stigma of albinism. They’re showing how to see people not through fear or ignorance, but in the light of justice, compassion, and love.
