MONROVIA, Sept. 15 (LINA) – The Deputy Executive Director of the Stand Up, Stand Out (SUSO) Foundation, P. Vangerline Kpotoe, has called on the Government of Liberia to see the need to provide job opportunities for Person Living with Albinism (PWA) in the country.
Madam Kpotoe also wants the government to make PWA a priority in other sectors of society, adding that they are part of the country’s population and, as such, they too deserve every right and opportunities as citizens
She made the statement over the weekend when her foundation donated to its members a consignment of back-to-school package.
The donation, according to her, was made possible through the sponsorship of Madam Konah Hall, who is based in the United States of America.
The ceremony was held at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) on Capitol Hill in Monrovia.
She emphasized that there’s a number of PWA in the country who are qualified but are not given the opportunity to explore their knowledge, something she said has placed them in critical condition to maintain their skin and livelihood.
“If you do the ratio, you will know that 15 percent of PWA are not working in the public sector, only because society has denied them to serve their people and country, we have Nurses, Educators, Economists, Accountants, Journalists, Social Workers, Securities and others but the space has not been provided,” the SUSO official noted.
Kpotoe said that unity comes with inclusiveness and a country cannot unite when other citizens are being forgotten by their own people, adding, “If they can be protected and supported then the country will be heading on the right trajectory.”
She, at the same time, thanked Madam Hall for the kind gesture and for putting a smile on the faces of children living with Albinism, especially school-going kids in the country.
The back-to-school package was donated to 30 school-going kids, including other kids who are not albinos but were born of albino parents.
The Standard Up, Stand Out Albinism foundation is a not-for-profit organization which was established in 2017 in Liberia.
SUSO foundation was founded to advocate for the rights of persons living with Albinism through a campaign that says “no to stigmatization.”
Albinism is an inherited condition that leads to someone having very light skin, hair, and eyes. It happens because they have less melanin than usual in their body.
Melanin gives skin, hair, and eyes their color. Except for vision, most people with albinism are just as healthy as anyone else.
Michlyne N. Williams
