Ujamaa Pamodzi has drilled children with albinism in Blantyre District in self-defence mechanisms to defend themselves from various forms of violence in their everyday life.

Speaking during the training on Monday in Traditional Authority Kapeni, Ujamaa project officer Patricia Mvula said they want to empower children with disabilities to stand up to some forms of violence.

She said: “Basically, we have trained the children on how best they can defend themselves. We taught them to be aware of their surroundings and how they can be assertive in any attack situation.

“They have been taught to use their voice to raise alarm when attacked, if the voice fails, they have been taught to use their body as a weapon to fight attackers.”

Children with albinism discuss some of the strategies

Association of People with Albinism in Malawi national coordinator Maynard Zakaliya said the training was important because it focused on helping a child with albinism play a leading role in terms of their security.

“It is proactive in nature as children are being empowered with skills and abilities on how they can react in case they face security challenges,” he said.

Zakaliya said other interventions focused on equipping other people to protect persons with albinism, but the training empowered children with albinism to act accordingly to any attack instead of waiting for help.

Blantyre assistant district social welfare officer Samuel Chitseko said the training came at the right time as they are struggling with child abuse cases.

The organisation is implementing Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Children with Albinism Project with support from the Norwegian Embassy through Unicef.

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