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November 14, 2015

UTSS is sponsoring the first ever Pan - African


Albinism Conference PAAC) which will take place
in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at the Julius
Nyerere Conference Centre on November 19 22,
2015.
2015 PAAC theme: Making attacks, stigma and
discrimination a faint memory.
Pan African Albinism Conference (PAAC) set to
gather leading organizations of persons with
albinism (PWA) and those that work with and for
PWA from Africa and infamous international and
local experts on albinism genetics, skin cancer,
low vision and human rights and legal issues.
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The aim of this major conference is to create a


sanctuary of learning, networking and
empowerment for PWA in Africa, equipping them
with the best resources UTSS has managed to
accumulate to date.
The conference will be blessed with more than
200 participants from 29 African countries and 9
non-African countries in North America, Europe,
Scandinavia and Japan. PAAC sessions will be
conducted in three languages: English, French
and Kiswahili.
PAAC is designed to equip defenders of the
human rights of persons with albinism (PWA)
with the necessary tools for preventing attacks,
ensuring prosecution of perpetrators of attacks,
monitoring the overall human rights situation of
PWA including how to make credible reports,
and properly advocate before their government
for better responses to their plight, says Peter
Ash, Founder and CEO of Under The Same Sun.
UTSS hopes this will kick start other similar
initiatives across continent of Africa through
which concrete results will lead to practical
changes in the lives of persons with albinism,
concludes Ash.

The opening key note address will be delivered by


Peter Ash, UTSS Founder / CEO.
All PAAC attendees with albinism will benefit
from free skin cancer screening and will be
provided with sunscreen lotion; low vision
examination and will be given vision-enhancing
spectacles, low vision devises and sunglasses
through experienced clinicians of Standing voice,
a partner of UTSS.
All persons with albinism will benefit from free
skin cancer screening and will be provided with
sunscreen lotion; low vision examination and
will be given vision-enhancing spectacles, low
vision devices and sunglasses.
There will be various visual displays of the plight
of persons with albinism, such as photoreportage by the World Bank Art Programme;
hand-made craft pieces produced by UTSS
Womens Development Groups and a miniature
of Nithamini (Value Me) Monument which
depicts a protective and loving family of a child
with albinism and also honours the lives of
murdered and maimed PWA in Tanzania.
PAAC will also form as a platform for PWA to
learn about how to protect their skin; get the best
out of low vision devices; how to document
attacks; how to collect evidence and use it in
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court cases to get justice; how to engage their


governments in PWA-related issues and how to
promote their human rights and wellbeing.
It should be noted that for more than a decade
there have been hundreds of PWA attacks and
killings reported in 25 different African
countries. However, many victims and their
families are still waiting for justice to be done.
Most of the cases do not reach the courts of law.
Further, stigma and discrimination is epidemic
across the continent
Facilitators / trainers include one of the worlds
leading geneticists with decades of experience in
albinism and renowned legal experts from UN
and African courts and law firms.
The four-day training programmes will
incorporate interactive workshops to develop the
skills of attendees on topics including:
a.The science of albinism: genetics of albinism,
skin and skin cancer prevention, low vision
and visual maximization with visual aids;
b.How to document incidences of attacks for
reporting and for preparing for prosecution;
c. Preparing facts to assist prosecution;
d.How to produce reports on their situation for
their governments, regional bodies and
international bodies;
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e. How to best advocate for PWA before the


public at large, key audiences and before
their government;
f. Education system: disability rights
pertaining to albinism and reasonable
accommodation;
g.National Policy on Albinism: How to
advocate for and obtain one.
Overall PAAC goals include:
to protect the Lives of PWA by educating
PWA leader-attendees on how to effectively
advocate for PWA in their country, i.e.
advocating for prosecution in cases of attacks
and the enjoyment of their human rights; to
improve the human rights, dignity and future
prospects for PWA by training PWA leaderattendees on how to educate key public
groups such as parents of children with
albinism, educators of students with
albinism and the medical profession on the
truths about albinism and how to care for
and provide reasonable accommodation for
PWA.
Short term goals in detail:
a.Report cases of attacks in a credible and
professional way
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b.Hold government accountable for the


treatment of persons with albinism by better
equipping defenders of human rights of
persons with albinism to document cases of
attacks in a way that will inform prosecution
as needed.
c. Understand and spread the truths about
albinism including its genetic information
and end myths and stereotypes that
contribute to human rights violations.
d.Understand and replicate health models
learned about in the conference to address
skin and vision issues associated with
albinism.
e. Learn effective ways to better advocate for
the rights of persons with albinism.
f. Encourage participants to achieve the above
by engaging them in a post-project contest as
described above.
For more information about the conference
please visit:
Conference.TZ@underthesamesun.com
For more material about UTSS activities and
relevant documents please visit:
http://www.underthesamesun.com/aboututss
AND
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http://www.underthesamesun.com/sites/default
/files/UTSS%20Activities.pdf;
For media enquiries about PAAC please contact:
Vicky A Ntetema
Executive Director, UTSS-TZ
Taasisi Road, Mikocheni B, Kwa Warioba
P.O. Box 32837, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Email: vicky@utss.co.tz; heviado35@gmail.com
Tel: +25522278024 Ext: 102 Fax:
+255222782356
Mob: +255756048487 / +255787600136/ +
+255679448258
Web: www.underthesamesun.com

-Ends-

About Under The Same Sun (UTSS) Canada &


Tanzania:
Under The Same Sun (UTSS) is passionately
committed
to
ending
the
often
deadly
discrimination against people with albinism.
UTSS promotes, via advocacy and education, the
wellbeing of persons with albinism who in many
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parts of the world are misunderstood,


marginalized, and even attacked and killed
because of their genetic condition. UTSS is
founded on the belief that all persons are created
in Gods image and as such are worthy of love,
respect and, above all, dignity.
While UTSS acts globally, much of our focus has
been on the crisis faced by people with albinism
in Tanzania. From there, UTSS is reaching across
Africa and the world, to stimulate a movement
that roots out discrimination and plants the
seeds of empowerment for people living with
albinism.
OUR VISION:
I have a dream that one day people with
albinism will take their rightful place throughout
every level of society, and that the days of
discrimination against persons with albinism
will be a faint memory - EVERYWHERE! - Peter
Ash, Founder & CEO
OUR MANDATE:
Under The Same Sun is passionately committed
to social inclusion and seeing an end to the
general and sometimes deadly discrimination
against persons with albinism (PWA). We exist to
promote, via advocacy and education, the
wellbeing of PWA who in many parts of the world
are marginalized, misunderstood, abused and at
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times mutilated and killed because of their


genetic condition.
At UTSS we are driven by the belief that all
persons have intrinsic value as each is created in
Gods image. Accordingly, all persons are worthy
of love, respect and, above all, dignity.
While UTSS is active at the UN and globally,
much of our current focus is on the crisis faced by
PWA in Tanzania. We have developed offices
there with a highly innovative and effective
approach to this issue. This is beginning to bring
about the societal transformation needed to stop
the stigma based attacks and killings. From
there, UTSS is reaching across Africa and the
world to stimulate a movement that roots out
stigma and discrimination by planting the seeds
of empowerment for people living with albinism.
UTSS Official Summary of Albinism:
Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically
inherited difference occurring in both genders
regardless of ethnicity, in all countries of the
world. BOTH the father and mother must carry
the gene for it to be passed on even if they do not
have albinism themselves. The condition results
in a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and
eyes, causing vulnerability to sun exposure and
bright light. Almost all people with albinism are
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visually impaired, with the majority being


classified as legally blind. While numbers vary
widely and no comprehensive studies have been
conducted, it is reported that in North America
and Europe, an estimate of 1 in every 17,000 to
20,000 people have albinism. In Africa it is
estimated that 1 in every 5,000 to 15,000 people
have albinism with selected populations having
estimates as high as 1 in 1,000. In Tanzania
where UTSS is based, the prevalence of albinism
is estimated to be 1 in 1,400 people being affected.
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