Member since: May 2020
Vitiligo Group Kenya (VGKe*) was established in November 2019 in Nairobi Kenya.
The organization advocates for:
- Non-discrimination of people living with vitiligo
- Full & effective participation & inclusion in society
- Equality of opportunity between men, women & children with disability
- Accessibility to resources
- Get to know more about Vitiligo Group Kenya below!
Thank you to Oliver Wairui, founder of the Vitiligo Group Kenya for sharing his insights on the work of the organization.
What do you want me to know about your organization?
We were founded November of last year, and we are a very young organization which creates awareness about people with Vitiligo, in and around Nairobi, and the whole of Kenya. We recruit patients through meeting them on the streets, which is tough! People in the village, don’t have internet, so if we see someone we inform them of our organization and tell them about the work that we do. It is tough, because people with vitiligo don’t have work or income. We also don’t have the resources to reach people outside of Nairobi at the moment, to tell people that vitiligo is not life threatening.
What do you consider to be your organization’s biggest accomplishment and success?
We want to open a cafeteria to employ people living with vitiligo. We want to show Nairobi society that people with vitiligo are able people, who can work. That will be the best thing that our group could do! We want to show the world that is it not a death sentence to have vitiligo!
What are the biggest challenges that vitiligo patients face?
People are not aware of what vitiligo is and so they may say that it is infectious, especially in the rural areas or villages. Children with vitiligo are kept away from the community and so they are made to feel different from birth. We want them to know they are beautiful, normal people who can do anything. Sunblock/sunscreen is also very expensive. Many people with vitiligo live in poverty and cannot afford sunscreen. They are forced to work in construction or other work and without sunscreen, this can be horrible for vitiligo patients.
What is the best piece of advice you have for skin patient organization leaders?
We should be collaborating with other skin patient organizations and share our ideas, share our goals – we are just one big family!