Tanzanian albinos learn to read with help from Brisbane charity

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By Matt Watson

Two severely disadvantaged students from Tanzania are learning to read with iPads donated by Brisbane charity groups.

Primary student Sebastian and secondary student Selemani attend the School of St Jude in Tanzania.

Both students have severe vision impairments due to albinism.

They also face severe persecution and serious risk of death due to East African superstitions regarding the condition.

According to the United Nations, witch doctors believe certain body parts of albinos have magic powers while other East Africans believe albinos are cursed and cause bad luck.

Albino babies are also at risk of infanticide because they are thought to be a bad omen.

Brisbane charity worker Noela Phillips said she met both boys during a visit the school last year, where they are kept safe and free from persecution.

“Selemani is a very vibrant, very confident young man with a great personality and is extremely popular with all his peers,” she said.

“Sebastian was in year one last year, but being in year one and not being competent with his English he was a little bit shy.”

Ms Phillips said Sebastian was given an iPad to play games with and it was clear he was able to see the screen.

“The smile on his face was just mesmerising,” she said.

“From those meetings, [it was] decided that they had to be provided with some technical support to enhance their vision so that they could see the board appropriately and read.”

Ms Phillips said the iPads and other equipment were donated by Brisbane High-Rise Rotary Club and Vision Australia.

Selemani, 18, said he had tried various solutions during his schooling, including a prescription monocular (an optical instrument for use with one eye) and glasses, but they did not work.

“I have struggled to read the blackboard since I was in standard one (grade one),” he said.

“I used to wear spectacles but they didn’t help much, so I still needed to go close to the board.

“Now with the iPad, I can see. It has a camera that takes a photo of the blackboard, and I copy it in my iPad.

“It’s so easy to read, and I can zoom in and out.”

St Jude spokeswoman Charlotte Peyrat-Veganay said Sebastian, 9, had been at the school for two years and had improved dramatically since receiving his iPad.

“His performance in the past few months is amazing,” she said.


Vision Australia’s Louise Arvier said the cameras that linked to the iPads were helping the boys make up for lost time.

“It not only allows them to take pictures of the board but of handouts and anything they find difficult to access,” Ms Arvier said.

“The equipment would lead to greater self-confidence, self-esteem and independence for the boys.”

Almost 2,000 promising yet impoverished Tanzanians receive high-quality primary and secondary education at the School of St Jude.

The school is largely supported by donations from Australia.

The United Nations says very few albinos manage to get educated beyond primary school level and they have few opportunities to compete for jobs in Tanzania.