Lack of knowledge and information about albinism has been singled out as one of the major factors contributing to discrimination against people with albinism.

Standing Voice’s Social Protection Coordinator, Chimwemwe Masuweta Mungomu said the knowledge gap on how one is born with albinism has seen alot of children with albinism being ignored by their own parents and men leaving their families on suspicion that the woman cheated on them.

“Discrimination still haunts people with albinism but the base of all this is the knowledge gap on how one born with albinism, we will go flat out reaching people with such information as we believe that once such an information gap has been filled, that will be the beginning of happy living for people with albinism,” she said.

Mungomu was speaking in an interview at Nayuchi in Machinga during the ongoing three-week mobile clinics on screening and provision of sunscreen oil against cancer on people with albinism.

About 541 people with albinism are expected to be treated during the exercise.

Standing Voice, Youth Net and Counselling (YONECO) and Beyond Sun Care are in a consortium which is implementing the European Union (EU) funded Ufulu wanga project in four districts of Mulanje, Zomba, Machinga and Ntcheu.