Marinka Masséus is an award winning Dutch photographer who created a photo series titled "Under the Same Sun." It was done to raise awareness of the horrendous circumstances of the people born with albinism in Tanzania. She aims to bring awareness to the situation and send a message of acceptance.
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#1
When a child is born with albinism in Tanzania, he is thought to be evil and a bounty is put on his head.
#2
It is considered to be good luck to slaughter a child born with albinism. The people of Tanzania are terrified of these children due to old superstitions that still run deep with the people in Tanzanian society.
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#3
The women who birth these children are encouraged to kill the baby when it is born, and if she refuses, she and the child are ousted to live lives as outcasts.
#4
These children are denied their human rights and live in constant fear of brutal attacks or being murdered.
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#5
Many of these albino children now live in camps to avoid being killed. They are cut off and rejected by their families and have to live separate from the rest of society in order to survive.
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#6
These poor children are kept secluded, hidden, and very often treated badly and shamed for being born with albinism.
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#7
Since they are born with skin and eyes that do not contain pigmentation, they are also in danger from the sun. They have no natural protection.
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#8
They end up suffering with severe burns every day which eventually lead to brown spots, mostly on the face, and those lead to skin cancer.
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#9
There are some organizations that are working as hard as they can to provide sunscreen to these children.
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#10
In Canada, the organization "Under the Same Sun" is one of those organizations.
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#11
It is such a shame that these poor, helpless children are treated so badly and forced to live the way they do.
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#12
We think they are beautiful just the way they are.
