On the Day of the African Child, we celebrate the dreams, courage, creativity, voices and leadership of African children. But some stories call for more than celebration, they ask us to listen more deeply.
This is one of those stories.
It begins in Zambia, with a young girl named Mwape Chimpampa.
Mwape is 16 years old, and her story is both powerful and deeply inspiring. As a girl with albinism, she is not only speaking up for children with albinism, but she is using science and innovation to respond to real challenges affecting her community.
Her journey has not been easy. From experiencing bullying and exclusion in school to becoming a national award-winning young scientist, Mwape’s journey is a powerful reminder that children with albinism are not defined by stigma. They are thinkers, leaders, innovators, advocates, and changemakers.
In this conversation, Mwape shares her story in her own words, her challenges, her dreams, her inventions, and her message to African leaders, schools, communities, and other children with albinism.
What has your journey been like growing up as a girl with albinism in Zambia?
My journey has been an up-and-down experience. Some people love and accept me, while others do not. Some people are comfortable around me, and for others, the opposite is true.
My family and close friends have always supported me, and that has made a big difference. But growing up, school and community life were not always easy. Some teachers were kind and understanding, but others made me feel as though I did not belong. Some classmates refused to sit with me. Sometimes, I sat on the floor because nobody wanted to share a desk with me.
Outside school, it did not get better. Children in my community would call me hurtful names whenever I walked to school, to the market, or anywhere else. I have experienced bullying, name-calling, avoidance, and humiliation simply because of my skin and appearance.
Even so, I am proud to be a person with albinism.
What inspired your interest in science and innovation?
Well, I do not have one exact answer. For a long time I was in school not knowing exactly what I was interested in. I kept trying new things again and again until I eventually found my place when I joined the Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists (JETS) Club at school.
In 2024, I entered the JETS competition for the first time. What started at the school level quickly grew into something bigger; I advanced all the way to the national level and won first place in every stage under the Medicine and Health category.
That was the moment I realised I had discovered my passion.
Tell us about your organic sunscreen innovation.
A great discovery can never be easy. I lost my father, who also had albinism, to skin cancer when I was only seven years old, simply because sunscreen was too expensive and not easily available. That loss has stayed with me and shaped how I see the world. I understand, deeply and personally, how dangerous sunscreen scarcity can be. No child should have to lose a parent to something that is entirely preventable.
That experience inspired me, although it was not the immediate fuel for the innovation. I only fully realised what I could do much later, when I began writing a short book about albinism. The idea took shape quietly; I did not share it with anyone until the first JETS fair, even though I had been developing it for over a year. It was a demanding journey, marked by constant trial and error and many failed attempts.
To me, sunscreen is not a luxury; it is medicine. It protects our skin from sunburn and, more importantly, from skin cancer. That is why finding a solution that could support persons with albinism mattered so much to me.
How did you feel when your work began receiving national and international recognition?
One word: Excited. It was even more than I had ever expected.
After my first award, I returned the following year with a new innovation, a photoprotective sunburn reliever to soothe sunburnt skin of people with albinism and help reduce the risk of skin cancer. That project earned me another national prize at the 2025 JETS fair.
Both of my innovations opened doors I had only dreamed of. I was featured on The Zambian Genius, a show I had watched since I was a young child, a platform dedicated to showcasing the country’s top and latest innovators. That same year, I was invited by the Japan Science and Technology (JST) Agency to participate in the Sakura Science High School Exchange Program in Japan, an opportunity linked to my work.
In 2024, I was also awarded Zambia’s Best Overall Female Young Scientist for my participation in the competition. I received recognition for my work by Samaritan Hope Givers and was honoured by the Chijika Ngonga Disability Recognition Award in the Academia category.
That same year, I was interviewed twice by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In both 2024 and 2025, I was also interviewed by seven other media agencies and podcasts across Africa and beyond.
My project is now being incubated by the Zambia Research and Development Centre (ZRDC), which invited me twice to present my innovation at the International Multidisciplinary Conference (IMDC), where I received the Best Innovation Award.
You recently participated in the ACERWC and CSOs Forum. What was that experience like for you?
It was a truly wonderful experience. I had never realised how seriously issues affecting persons with albinism are taken at the international level. It was inspiring, and it motivated me to continue advocating for the rights and well-being of persons with albinism.
Speaking before the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACEWRC) was a powerful moment for me. It gave me the opportunity to speak not only for myself, but also for thousands of children and young people with albinism across Africa whose voices are too often unheard.
Mwape Delivering Her Oral Statement at the ACEWRC
What message would you like African leaders, schools, and communities to hear about children with albinism?
My voice may not be the loudest or the most influential, but it matters, and I need support. We must speak up when it is needed.
Many children with albinism suffer in schools because some teachers do not fully understand how to support them, and bullying is often ignored or treated as normal. What we need is simple but essential: reasonable accommodation, protection from bullying, and equal treatment in schools.
Access to healthcare remains a major challenge. For many of us, healthcare feels like a luxury rather than a right. Sunscreen, which is essential for our survival, is as scarce as water in a desert. Even when it is available at hospitals, it is often inaccessible and sometimes it does not reach those who need it most. It is way too expensive, and innovations that could make it more affordable are rarely supported.
Beyond this, many children with albinism live with fear. In some communities, harmful beliefs continue to put lives at risk. Persons with albinism are still attacked or killed, and justice is rarely served. This is deeply unfair and must change.
Persons with albinism should never be taken for granted. We have equal rights and equal potential, just like anyone else.
As we mark the Day of the African Child, what does this day mean to you personally?
This day reminds me that, as an African child with albinism, I am not just young, I am a leader and a determinant of tomorrow. If my voice is buried, then our tomorrow is at risk.
What are your dreams for the future?
I desire to study biochemistry and develop innovative solutions to challenges in the healthcare sector, especially for persons with albinism in Africa and beyond.
What message would you give to another child with albinism who may feel discouraged?
I am a child too, and what I have done, you can do too. Sometimes, the most powerful solutions come from those who feel unseen, because they are driven to prove their worth.
Nevertheless, you are what you are: a human being with great potential and ambition. Do not let the words of others make you stumble. As I always like to say, keep shining, keep glowing, and never be afraid to unleash your full potential.
With love, Mwape, Zambia.
What Mwape’s Story Teaches Us
Mwape’s story reminds us that African children with albinism deserve far more than sympathy. They deserve safety, dignity, access to healthcare, inclusive education, protection from violence, and meaningful opportunities to lead.
Her journey shows what becomes possible when children are supported instead of excluded. A girl who was once made to feel different because of her skin is now using her voice and her brilliance in science to protect lives, challenge stigma, and inspire other children with albinism to believe in their own potential.
On this Day of the African Child, her message is clear:
Children with albinism are not the problem to be solved, they are part of the solution.
