Helping Hand Appeal 2016 A struggle to survive
Targeted for being an albino, Ackson and his family face a daily battle against prejudice, as well as health fears and hunger
Life is hard for many people in Malawi, but for 12-year-old Ackson, things are particularly tough.
Like many children in the poverty-stricken country, Ackson faces a gruelling daily routine of chores and school.
Compounding an already difficult situation, Ackson is albino, a condition in Malawi which is viewed with suspicion and fear. People with albinism can experience attacks, discrimination and even kidnapping.
Indeed, Ackson’s main carer, his Aunt Alony, has received death threats from people looking to kidnap Ackson from his home.
It’s another source of continual worry for the family, and with recent droughts and a weather forecast of a tough few months of ahead, the situation won’t improve any time soon.
Ackson’s day starts at 5am, when he will do chores – on an empty stomach – for a couple of hours before the long walk to school, where he receives a mug of porridge from Mary’s Meals.
“It takes me one hour to get to school from mhome home and that’s when I begin gin to feel very hungry. It really affects me e because the night before we have either had a very small portion to eat or nothing at all. My y tummy really hurts. rts.
“So when I reach school and eat the Mary’s Meals porridge I feel very full. It helps me by giving me energy to get me through the day.”
As well as hunger, Ackson is also wary of sunlight, which can be very harmful to his pale skin. His legs are covered in a severe skin rash and he has blisters. He wears a cap to protect him from the sunlight, but that is the only formof protection he owns, so he can’t always play out with his friends, even though he loves ball games.
“After school I can’t spend too much time in the sunlight as it’s very hot outside. My aunt gets very worried while she is in the field about whether I am safe or not.
“I come home and sleep, th then I go to co collect water with my cousin, Maira, for w when my aunt arrives home.” Ackson lives with his aunt and cousin in a single room mud hut with a straw hatch roof. With the crippling droughts, there is little chance of the family producing much in the way of food or income. Alony has her own piece of farming land over 2km away from their home, where she plants and harvests maize and pigeon peas. Normally, Alony harvests 12 bags of maize (50kg each) and six bags of pigeon peas; this year she harvested less than half a bag of maize and no peas.
Alony occasionally finds other work, weeding and ploughing in other farmers’ fields. However, three days’ work will typically only net her the equivalent of £1. She uses her wage to buy a bag of
maize, which will feed the family a single meal for three days. There is no additional money for household items, not even soap or toothpaste.
It means the Mary’s Meals porridge has even more importance for Ackson, as it eases some of the burden on the rest of the family.
“Life for us is difficult and it gets worse when I can’t find any work or when I fall ill from working too much in the field with very little energy from the small meal we’ve eaten the night before,” said Alony.
“We’ve often gone one or two days without food. Especially if we can’t find any help from our neighbours who are in a similar situation to us.
“Ackson receives his porridge at school from Mary’s Meals, which helps him to get through the day. The porridge is very helpful when there is no food at home.
“I worry for Ackson’s safety too. It is very dangerous for him to freely roam or play like the other children. Because of his condition, I try my best to control where he goes.
“I also try to make sure he is in the shade when the sun is very high, otherwise he will suffer with very bad blisters.
“I try to forget about all these worries while I am praying; that’s when I am at my happiest.”
For Ackson, the only positive comes in that mug of porridge. It really is his lifeline.
“The next few months are going to be very difficult as I know there will be more days with no food at all at home,” he added. “But at least there will be food at school.
“It’s my only hope at the moment,” he added.