Project Halisi: Empower persons with albinism who have faced atrocities and discrimination with skills to enable them to self-integrate into society

Date Published: 12/13/2023

About me:
I come from a family of 6 children and I’m the only one with albinism. Having albinism, I have struggled to fit in because I was different and easily stood out in a crowd. Albinism is the lack of melanin in the eyes, skin, and hair. Apart from not being able to meet the standards of my peers due to poverty, my looks were another source of the discrimination I faced. It took me 25 years to accept myself, that I have albinism. My love for fashion started from childhood when I was gifted a Barbie doll. I loved it so much because we shared the same skin and hair color. I started hand-stitching tiny clothes for the doll.
I channeled my creativity into fashion. Why struggle to fit in, yet I can stand out, and stand strong? Different is beautiful. Using the rags in the house, I would try and recreate an outfit that looked good on me.

The problem:
Albinos from poor and unprivileged backgrounds in Kenya face discrimination, death threats, and bullying due to superstitious beliefs and misconceptions.
Imagine being told that your parents abandoned you because they believe that you are cursed or, living every time having to look over your shoulder. After all, you are afraid of people kidnapping you, attacking you or even killing you for your body parts. These people believe that your body parts when used in witchcraft can attract prosperity.
It is said that albinos have nothing good to offer. But when you have lived your life being pushed around; bullied; put down; stripped of your dignity; told you don't belong; you lack the confidence and the ability to offer anything.
This leads to low self-esteem and a lack of self-acceptance.
Project Halisi fosters self-confidence, self-acceptance, and integration of albinos in Kenya. We will use art and fashion as a tool of training.
We wish to create versatile problem-solvers who have skills applicable beyond design and can stand tall in the face of discrimination and change the perception of albinism in their localities. To achieve thus, we need financial and in kind support worth KES 200,000 converted to USD 1290.32.
Project Halisi: Empower persons with albinism who have faced atrocities and discrimination with skills to enable them to self-integrate into society
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