Vitiligo, often confused with albinism, is a long-term skin condition characterised by the loss of pigmentation in certain areas of the skin, resulting in white patches. It occurs due to the destruction of melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin, which gives color to the skin, hair, and eyes. Vitiligo is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic, autoimmune, and environmental factors. Albinism on the other hand is a condition where an individual has reduced melanin or none, which affects the colouring of their skin and eyes. Elizabeth Wangui Njeri is a person living with vitiligo who’s advocating for the rights of persons living with the condition as well as albinism.
Njeri’s Encounter With Vitiligo
Wangui was diagnosed with vitiligo while still a student in Pangani Girls High School. This revelation worried Wangui as she had heard a myriad of myths associated with her condition. Furthermore, she had always dreamt of being a model but now her skin wasn’t in the condition mainstream beauty standards dictated. She tried everything she could to retain her skin colour to no avail. As years went by, she experienced discrimination at work and in her daily life which added to her turmoil.
Wangui grieved for her skin for several years before turning on a new page and beginning a journey of acceptance. She ushered herself into this new chapter with lessons from her distress, which also marked the onset of her advocacy for persons living with vitiligo and albinism.
Vitiligo and Albinism Advocacy
She began advocacy when she joined politics in 2012 as a photojournalist for The National Alliance (TNA) party in Nyeri County. This put her in the public eye, which increased her visibility. The following year, she was nominated as a member of the Nyeri County Assembly to represent persons with disabilities. Wangui welcomed this nomination and used the assembly as a platform to amplify the plight of persons living with vitiligo and albinism.
At the assembly, Wangui proposed a motion that aimed to promote awareness on albinism and vitiligo. She also pushed to have products like sunscreen lotions and lip balms to be provided to persons living with such skin conditions, as well as basic healthcare services like free eye checkups. As a result, persons living with these skin conditions can get free skin care products from any level 5 hospitals countrywide.
Restoring Hope
Besides championing for adults living with vitiligo and albinism, Wangui also reaches out to younger people in secondary schools to demystify vitiligo and help them remember they are beautiful and that there’s nothing shameful about their skin.
Wangui Njeri’s advocacy for vitiligo and albinism has left an indelible mark on the lives of those she has touched. Self-acceptance and body positivity among persons living with vitiligo and albinism has increased, and Wangui’s work continues to inspire others to break free from societal expectations, fostering a world that celebrates the beauty found in every individual, regardless of their differences.