From stigma to strength: People with albinism thrive as farmers

In the city of Gitega, (centre of Burundi), in the Nyabisindu neighborhood, lies the Organization of Persons with Albinism in Burundi (OPAB). Its chairman, Moïse, and vice-chairman, Donavine, benefited from a training on Empowered World View (EWV) provided by World Vision Burundi. Thanks to this training, they have turned their association into a model of success within the community.

They own well-fed hens that lay more than 400 eggs per day, supported by a brand-new modern incubator that is visibly expensive. A veterinarian ensures the proper health of the poultry. 

“To obtain chicks, we place more than 1,000 eggs in our incubator, which produces between 700 and 800 chicks at a time,” explains Moïse, noting that the funding of the project was secured after participating in a competition: “Out of 227 associations that were in the contest, only 13 were selected, including ours,” adds Donavine, who emphasizes that OPAB is engaged not only in poultry farming but also in pig farming.

According to her, since the beginning of this livestock keeping project in 2024, OPAB has already raised more than 100 pigs: “We regularly sell a piglet at 100,000 Burundian Francs each,” she highlights, while praising World Vision Burundi for initiating the EWV training.

It all started with soap making! 

She continues: “The turning point was the mindset-change training that World Vision organised in 2024 for vulnerable groups. We were among the beneficiaries and immediately applied what we learned,” recalls Donavine, who remembers that their first activity was producing multipurpose soap. “World Vision provided the raw materials, and we continued until we had sales points here in Gitega and its surroundings,” she proudly tells.

Step by step, OPAB has grown to now include more than twenty members. All are highly motivated persons with albinism who have overcome the stigma they once faced daily. 

The chairman, Moïse, does not intend to stop at pig and poultry farming to strengthen OPAB’s finances: “We have 25 beneficiaries for whom we must ensure that each can earn more than 110,000 Burundian Francs per month. We are targeting the next five years. We want to be fully self-reliant, even if not at 100%,” he projects confidently.

OPAB members say that the fear they once had about the future has been replaced by hope and confidence. Today, they dream bigger and pursue ambitious plans; an extraordinary change that started with a shift in mindset through the Empowered World View training provided by World Vision.