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COVID-19 Compounds Challenges for People With Albinism

Athanasius Sibanda of AAS Foundation hands over sunscreen lotions to Sithandazile Gumbo and her daughter in Hwange. Image by Bokani Mudimba | The Citizen Bulletin


BY BOKANI MUDIMBA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | OCT 13, 2020

A vibrant tourism industry has in the past enabled people with albinism to get free sunscreen and lotions as well as to have disposable income to buy their own. The pandemic has halted all donation streams and opportunities for income generation, leaving this community exposed to various health risks.


HWANGE (The Citizen Bulletin) — Sithandazile Gumbo (35), a single mother of a five-year-old girl with albinism in Hwange has not been able to buy proper sunscreen for her daughter since April because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) induced lockdown.

“I am not employed and only survive on piece jobs. I use that little money to buy food and pay rent hence I cannot afford to buy lotion for my daughter. I have resorted to using ordinary lotions on her even though it is not healthy because they don’t protect her from the heat,” Gumbo says.

She has no one to leave the little girl with when going to work as she stays alone in Hwange’s Number 1 suburb.

People with albinism are some of the worst affected by COVID-19 as donors, both local and international who used to supply them with sunscreen lotions have stopped doing so.

With the summer season upon the country, cracked skin has become common among people with albinism due to the lack of access to proper sunscreen lotion.

People with albinism have skin that is very sensitive to light and sun exposure, sunburn is one of the most serious complications associated with albinism which can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

According to a 2006 report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Zimbabwe has a prevalence of albinism in the range of 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 15,000.


The mortality rate of Zimbabweans with albinism is reportedly high, with most people not living beyond 50 years largely due to lack of access to treatment for skin cancer.


Philip Kasanga (67) coordinator for people with albinism in Binga says the pandemic has exposed a majority of people with albinism.

“The biggest challenge is access to sunscreen lotion.  We usually get sunscreen from donors like Zimplats but because of COVID-19 no company has come through,” Kasanga says.

“People have been making phone calls asking if there are any donations around. I have had to give out my own lotion especially to minors.”

Besides sunscreen, one also requires other lotions as well as sunglasses.


ALSO READ: Water Woes Expose Hwange Rural Pupils To COVID-19


A 100-gramme bottle costs US$10, some bottles go up to between US$15 and US$20, an amount equivalent to the net income of some households. A person with albinism also requires other creams like aqueous cream to moisturize the skin, an added cost to the pricey sunscreen.

“We had planned to meet to form structures for Hwange and Binga but the outbreak of COVID-19 disturbed all plans. Many are not working because few employers are not willing to employ people with albinism. People look down upon us but there is so much in us,” laments Kasanga.

Abangane-Shamwari Disabled Persons Development Organisation Trust director Senzelwe Jubane says the unavailability of tourists due to international travel ban is a disaster for people with albinism.


“Before COVID-19 those in Victoria Falls could generally afford to buy sunscreen because they had access to disposable income, either through interaction with tourists or donations. This is all gone.”
Senzelwe Jubane


Shops and pharmacies used to stock sunscreen lotion because it is the one used by tourists to prevent themselves from sunburn. Currently it’s in short supply because as long as there are no tourists no shop will stock sunscreen lotion,” Jubane explains.

Miss Albinism Zimbabwe director Brenda Mudzimu has called for equalization of employment opportunities to capacitate people with albinism.

“COVID-19 really affected people with albinism because we no longer have access to free sunscreen as was the case before the pandemic. The sunscreen lotion is very expensive to buy in pharmacies. As a result, it’s hard for people with disability particularly those with albinism to buy for themselves as the majority are not employed,” she says.

Last week a Hwange based AAS Foundation donated sunscreens and sanitary pads to 35 people with albinism in Hwange to cushion them.

Some of the people with albinism after receiving sunscreen from AAS Foundation. Image by Bokani Mudimba | The Citizen Bulletin


Matabeleland North provincial social welfare officer Macnon Chirinzepi says while people with albinism do not get sunscreen from the government, they benefit from various social safety nets including feeding, health and education programmes.


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