The executive director of the Organization for the Integration and Promotion of People with Albinism (OIPPA), Nicodème Hakizimana, says that their children can succeed in school if the challenges they face are overcome. One of the most important is the problem of vision.
Le Canapé: Why do children with albinism experience low education and illiteracy?
Nicodème Hakizimana: There are many reasons. Often a child with albinism does not go to school because his parents believe that he has a lower intellectual capacity than normal. They fear the cost of educating such a child. Finally, the employment problem does not motivate them to enrol their offspring in school.
When a child with albinism goes to school, he or she is visually impaired. Most teachers are unaware of this and do not think of giving him a place near the blackboard. In assessment work such as examinations, the child does not finish on time because he or she cannot see well. This contributes to academic failure. They need a questionnaire written in characters that are legible enough for them.
In national examinations, in the preparation of questionnaires by the Ministry of Education, this particular difficulty for such learners is not taken into account.
The community also discourages these children. Those who manage to follow the normal school curriculum do not find jobs. There is a misconception that the performance of people with albinism is lower than normal.
Le Canapé: How did you manage to continue your studies to the higher level?
Nicodème Hakizimana: I continued my studies up to university level. I have a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in educational planning. To get there, it was a daily struggle because I could not see well. I had to stand up to take notes. Obviously, in this position I was embarrassing my fellow students who were insulting me. I was persistent because I had the encouragement of my parents.
Le Canapé: How many of them suffer from visual impairment in percentage?
Nicodème Hakizimana: About 100% of these children have a vision problem. And the price of glasses can go up to 400,000 frws. They are not insured by the health insurance “Mutuelle”. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find support from partners, but there are not many beneficiaries.
Le Canapé: What are your initiatives to promote education for children with albinism?
Nicodème Hakizimana: We make assessment in schools. Some of the problems we find are presented to the Rwanda Education Board (REB). We advocate for children to sit in class near the blackboard. We propose that as far as possible, children with albinism should receive their books. Sharing with a child with normal vision puts them at a disadvantage. We distribute the glasses when partners give them to us. However, not many children receive them because of limited resources. We continue to advocate for the design of a questionnaire that takes into account the vision problem of children with albinism.
Le Canapé: And this is producing results?
Nicodème Hakizimana: We see that performance has increased for children studying in the districts where we are active. In 2019, for example, all the children in the city of Kigali who benefited from our advocacy were admitted to secondary school. In addition, the children who received glasses can learn sitting down like the others.
Le Canapé: What are your ongoing projects to promote the education of these children?
Nicodème Hakizimana: We limit ourselves to advocating for the wearing of glasses, hats and long-sleeved uniforms for protection against the sun’s rays.
Le Canapé: Do you have any grievances?
Nicodème Hakizimana: We would like to ask teachers and school heads to identify children with albinism in their schools or classes in order to help them. We are convinced that they can succeed like others once the challenges are overcome. In the gathering of school data, the relevant bodies should include a column of children with albinism so that they can be helped. We are not able to do this because we work in only seven districts: Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, Kayonza, Musanze Rutsiro and Nyamasheke.
Interview by
Gérard Rugambwa
