By Patience Lunda:
In the lakeshore district of Nkhata Bay, the arrival of summer is often greeted with joy and excitement.
The clear sunny skies are a promise of several weeks of happiness and outdoor adventure to some, but for students with albinism—whose skin lacks the melanin that acts as a buffer to the sun’s rays—the season is akin to torture.
13-year-old Hussein Kazembe is a standard seven student at St Maria Goretti Resource Centre in Nkhata Bay District. He is a boy with albinism.
He says he visits Nkhata Bay District Hospital every three months to receive sunscreen lotion, which is essential to protecting his skin from the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
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Hussein however recalls that on several occasions, he has not found the essential product, so he adopted a coping mechanism – using his sunscreen lotion sparingly, even though it is supposed to be applied generously during summer.
As the sun’s rays grow more intense and relentless, the erratic availability of sunscreen lotion casts a long yet troubling shadow over his life.
Hussein finds himself grappling with a challenge that threatens not only his comfort but also his wellbeing.
He says due to the high temperatures in Nkhata Bay, his body develops sores when he does not apply the sunscreen lotion for some time.
“We visit the hospital every three months to receive sunscreen lotion but there are times when we don’t find the commodity and it becomes hard to live without it. We sometimes wait up to two weeks,” he says.
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Another student, Christopher Munguluma, who is aged 15 and also in standard seven, says his skin develops dark patches and gives him a piercing sensation.
According to the teacher in charge of St Maria Goretti Resource Centre, Francisco Chavula, students with albinism walk a distance of about 10 kilometres to access sunscreen lotion at Nkhata Bay district hospital.
Chavula says some students are young and walking so far becomes challenging to them.
He observes that those that have run out of sunscreen lotion are subjected to discomfort and hence do not concentrate on their lessons in class.
“It would help if they would even be receiving the sunscreen lotion here at school because we have some young students with albinism and walking becomes difficult because we cannot afford to pay transport fees for the hospital,” he said.
Primary Education Advisor for St Maria Goretti Resorce Centre, Edrian Kalengo validated the concerns, saying there is a need to reach out to these students with protective equipment with regards to their skin condition.
Nkhata Bay District Hospital Director of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Topsy Mdolo says some of the sunscreen lotion found at the facility is brought by partners such as the Association of Persons with Albinism (Apam) and the facility sometimes purchases it from the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST).
Mdolo says they have enough stocks of sunscreen lotion and the next clinic for distribution is in December this year. He however added that they distribute only to those that have enrolled with the hospital.
“The hospital enrols those who want to be receiving the sunscreen lotion and now we have are expected to distribute the lotion in December and we have it in supply,” he explains.
Association of Persons with Albinism (Apam) president, Young Muhamba says special clinics for persons with albinism have started this year in the Northern Region, but before, they had to travel to other regions to access the clinics.
Muhamba admits that it is hard to reach out to students with albinism in boarding schools, however giving assurances that he will engage one of the partners to consider reaching out to the students at the lakeshore school.
He says the lack of sunscreen lotion is dangerous because it poses those not using it at risk of developing cancer.
“Sunscreen lotion protects us from harmful ultraviolent rays and clinics help us to know how we are caring for our skin and when some are not adequately reached, it becomes a matter of concern,” Muhamba said.
Sunscreen lotion plays a crucial role in protecting the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays which can lead to sunburn, skin damage and an increased risk of skin cancer.
