Work with the Sierra Leone Association of Persons with Albinism

The Sierra Leone Association for Persons With Albinism (SLAPWA) attended our training around public health, stigma and witchcraft abuse earlier in the year. The Association seeks to address many of the themes that we see in the epilepsy project work, especially around the lack of local health care provision to support the specific needs of the community and the stigma that surrounds the condition. Key health care challenges are: managing the high skin cancer risk (estimates suggest that 80% of the Albinism community in Sierra Leone will die early from skin cancer) and support for eye care. Protective sun cream is expensive in Sierra Leone and out of reach of most people. We arrange purchase and shipment of sun cream to Sierra Leone and have arranged urgent treatment with visiting surgeons for patients with Albinism. We would welcome contacts with companies that may be able to donate Factor 50 sun cream, blocking both UVB and UVA, as well as offers of protective clothing and hats which we can ship to the Association for distribution to members. Protection from the sun saves lives and needs to start from an early age.