Albinism comes from the Latin albus, which means white. According to Wikipedia, it is a collective term for congenital disorders in the biosynthesis of melanins, which affect the resulting lighter skin, hair and eye color as well as other characteristics. Albinism, which does not only occur in humans, can become a very conspicuous disease, which can unfortunately lead to great discrimination and even persecution of people with albinism, especially in Africa. There are also various myths surrounding people with albinism. For example, children with albinism in Africa not only suffer under the sun, but also from people who hunt them down. Body parts of people affected by albinism promise wealth. According to an article in “The Citizen” on May 10, 2016, there were 301 affected children in the largest protection center for albinos in Tanzania, the Buhangija in Shinyanga. There are 32 protection centers throughout Tanzania. In one year, there had been 8 cases of assaults on affected children.
Here is an interesting report about an organization in America that takes care of affected children.
