Football Club saves lives:

Albinos: persecuted in Tanzania

"Football is a great healer" - is one of FIFA's main mantras and in the east African enclave of Tanzania, that is certainly the case.
In Tanzania; albinos are one of the most opressed minorities. They are totally under-valued and seen as freaks, facing daily persecution, violence and even death threats due to local superstition and beliefs about their condition. Albinoism results from a recessive gene that prevents the body from producing the pigment: melanin. A lot of people believe that you can become rich if you get hold of the organs of an albino. 
In 2008, a football club called Albino United was formed to help change perceptions in the country. "Football is loved around the World and this club can help promote our needs after a series of albino killings. I founded the club to help show that albinos are human beings just like everyone else and that they are not meant to be hunted down and kiled like animals." - says Albino United founder Oscar Daniel Haule. Albino United now plays in the country's Fourth Division professional league. 

Al-Shymaa Kway-Geer: Tanzania's first albino MP

The Tanzanian Government has taken notice and appointed its first albino MP which is seen as a major breakthrough for the entire albino community in the country.


With Albino United pushing for promotion, albinos all over Tanzania are showing that it's what's within and not the colour of the skin that's what is important.