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Special eyewear for albinism sufferers to be acquired and distributed nationwide

Special eyewear for albinism sufferers to be acquired and distributed nationwide

The Albinism Sufferers Requiring Assistance (SINASRA) organisation will acquire and distribute special telescopic spectacles and sunglasses to the people affected by albinism all over the country, thanks to the contribution from the German Embassy in the country.

Most of the beneficiaries will be children in order to facilitate their integration into the school system and thus increase their future prospects.

The German Embassy in Namibia gave financial assistance of N$225,000 within the framework of the micro-project fund of the German Embassy to SINASRA.

The agreement was signed recently by Christian Matthias Schlaga, German Ambassador and Dr. Peter Stoermer, as acting Chairperson and Dr. Natalie Renkhoff as Board Member and Legal Advisor of the welfare organisation.

Albinism is a congenital metabolic disorder, the amount of melanin pigment formed in the skin, hair and eyes is partially reduced to completely lacking. This pigment is necessary not only for the skin and hair, but also for the retina and iris of the eyes. Bright skin, hair and eye color are thus the visible consequences. Since the melanin has a protective function against UV radiation, there is therefore a greater sensitivity to sunlight.

This visual impairment leads to the social exclusion and stigmatization of children and adults with albinism. By providing Albinos with special telescopic spectacles, their vision will be enhanced and accessibility to education improved considerably.


About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys