Thandeka Receives Glasses: How Climate Change is Endangering Children with Albinism – Gugulethu Mahlangu

At Jekero Primary School in the searing heat of Chiredzi, ten-year-old Thandaza Sithole squints at the blackboard. The sun doesn’t just bake the earth outside, it targets her health. As a child with albinism, Thandaza faces challenges that the scorching climate exacerbates each year.

Her skin, delicate and vulnerable, burns easily under Zimbabwe’s relentless sun. Without proper protection, painful blisters form on her exposed arms and face. Her already weak eyesight, a common challenge for children with albinism, becomes even harder to manage under the unforgiving daylight. In class, her teachers have no choice but to seat her near the board, isolating her from her classmates. While the other children race outside to play, Thandaza stays behind, carefully shielding herself from the sun’s searing rays.

But despite these obstacles, Thandaza refuses to let her condition define her. She finds solace in numbers, where the reliability of mathematics offers her a sense of control in an unpredictable world. In the realm of 2+2, there are no surprises, just consistency, even when the world around her seems to change so drastically. But now, climate change is making her journey through school harder than ever. Rising temperatures and more intense UV rays mean even worse burns, greater eye strain, and deeper isolation.

As a Teach for Zimbabwe fellow, I knew that raising awareness wasn’t enough. Thandaza needed real, practical support. So, I set out to find a donor who could provide what she needed. Through the generosity of Shepherd’s Foundation Thandaza received protective sunscreen for her skin and a pair of eyeglasses to ease the strain on her eyes. These small gifts meant she no longer had to sit alone at the front of the class, away from her peers. Now, she could join the others outside without fear of the sun’s harmful effects.

Thandaza’s story is a poignant reminder that climate change isn’t just an abstract concept, it’s a real, daily battle for those who are already vulnerable. If the heat makes life harder for those with melanin, imagine the constant struggle for those without it.

As the planet continues to warm, how many more children like Thandaza will face a future scarred by the sun’s unforgiving rays?

It’s time we take action, not just for the environment, but for the people who are bearing the brunt of its heat.

Let’s join together to fight against the destruction of our planet but in the meantime I also call upon more foundations to aid children living with albinism as they struggle in these harsher climates.