Impact Story:

Albino Community

Malawi is home to a largely marginalized and highly discriminated against the community of people with albinism. These people are misunderstood and do not often have the opportunity to defend their worth and rights.

For people with albinism in Malawi, life can be very difficult. Due to the extreme skin sensitivity people in this community face, they have no choice but to spend most of their time outside in early morning or evening hours. The extreme heat and sun exposure during the day is extremely dangerous, thus, productivity during the daylight hours is limited. 

However, the evening hours pose multiple threats to this community, as well. People with albinism in Malawi are often threatened and face aggression and unrest. 

Kerosene lamps are used to protect people with Albinism in Malawi. Having light at night is critical so that people who are albino can see predators and criminals that target them in the night. We have found that this causes people, living in this community, to use up to three times as much kerosene than the average person living in poverty. 

When Watts of Love discovered this marginalized group of people, we knew solar lighting could be a support for this community. We knew the lights could provide safety and increase productivity. After receiving the lights, the community finally had hope and the power to raise themselves out of the darkness of poverty. 

Watts of Love knew they could do more. Not only did we provide solar lighting and financial literacy education, but Watts of Love also created a platform for the albino community to become leaders. Watts of Love chose individuals with albinism to bringing solar light and hope to the people of Malawi.