Bonface is a human rights defender with over 15 years of professional experience in civil society, fighting against injustices and oppression targeting persons with albinism, who are often subjected to ritual killings and harmful practices. He has shown remarkable perseverance in abolishing exclusionary regimes based on disability, ensuring an equitable process for promoting and protecting the dignity of persons with albinism. He holds a master’s degree (MPhil) in Rehabilitation—Disability, Gender, and Development Studies from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and a second master’s (MPhil) degree in Human Rights and Disability Rights from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is the inaugural winner of the BARI-BARI PRIZE (2015–2025) and the first person with albinism in Africa to be honored as an albinism champion for his advocacy work.

Since 2021, Bonface has served as a Commissioner of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, where he has held critical leadership roles. These include chairing the Disability and Elderly Thematic Committee, which oversees the implementation of interventions promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, and the Child Rights Thematic Committee.

Throughout his career, Bonface has dedicated his life to progressive leadership within the disability movement across Africa and beyond, focusing on policy and advocacy. He worked as Executive Director for Standing Voice Malawi, an international organization defending the human rights of persons with albinism. He has also served as Chairperson for the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA) and the Disability Regional Advocacy Platform for the Southern Africa Federation for the Disabled (SAFOD).

Bonface contributed as an expert member of the Albinism Think Tank team created by the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. This team co-developed the African Union’s Plan of Action to end attacks and other human rights violations targeting persons with albinism in Africa (2021–2031) and successfully lobbied for its adoption by the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament.

Previously, he led the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) as President and National Coordinator from 2009 to 2016. Bonface has also served on the Board of Directors for the Malawi Network Against Trafficking in Persons (M-NAT) and Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA).

Martin served for nine years as the Administration and Logistics manager for Under the Same Sun, the foremost international non-governmental organization working on albinism advocacy. Before engaging in the advocacy movement, Martin worked at Tanzania Postal Bank as a Senior Banking Operations Officer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Dar es Salaam and has over 11 years of experience in Accounting, Administration, Finance, and Logistics. Being a person with albinism himself, Martin is a strong, articulate leader with a great passion for the disability movement and serves as a strategic advocate on disability issues in Tanzania. His mission is to lead disability issues and contribute to the empowerment of Persons with Disabilities particularly persons with albinism through advocacy. Martin is married and proud father of four.

Annabahati is a dedicated leader who oversees the network’s projects on the development and implementation of African Union Plan of Action on Albinism (2021-2031) across Africa by supporting national taskforces and committees. She is a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP®) based in Tanzania and member of the local chapter. She previously worked as project manager for Haki Yetu Project (Phase II), which aimed to fight discrimination, killings and attacks of persons with albinism in five lake-zone regions in Tanzania through workshops and public awareness raising and advocacy campaigns. She has a background in real estate investment and is currently pursuing her Masters in Finance and Investment. She is a lover of nature, investigative documentaries, and the simplest things in life.

Andrews Kwame Daklo is a disability rights advocate from Ghana with experience in human rights advocacy, focusing on albinism, programming and social work. Kwame holds a Masters degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria. Kwame has a vast experience in community mobilisation, program facilitation and social media advocacy on the rights of persons with albinism. He is passionate about promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of persons with albinism in Ghana and Africa.

Haingo is a creative and partnership-oriented Afrifem from Madagascar who specializes in the application of advocacy and communications principles in philanthropy and NGO work. She has 10 years of experience supporting African civil society groups led by and for disenfranchised and marginalized groups across Africa and designing social inclusion strategies. She is also a makeup and baking enthusiast.

Doreen is a promising young Tanzanian who currently works as the Network’s project associate and always ready for a new challenge. Her greatest aspiration is to make a difference and contribute to the issues that matter in this ever-changing world. In this position, Doreen provides administrative and operational support to the entire team while reporting directly to the Finance and Administrative Manager. She is insatiably curious and enjoys the challenge of learning from the new tasks and projects she assists with. In her free time, Doreen enjoys playing board games, photography, and participating in sports such as swimming and football.

Djaffar Moussa-Elkadhum, “Moussa or Mussa according to the spelling” as he is fondly known in the albinism community, is a national of the Comoros. He holds Master’s degrees in economics, statistics, demography, and public administration and is a member of several professional organizations including the International Union for the Scientific Studies of Population (IUSSP) and the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS). 

He retired from UNESCO having served the Organization since 1992 when he joined as Young Professional coming from UNFPA (UN Population Fund). He progressively assumed a number of senior functions at Headquarters (Paris) and at field level. He has served on various UNESCO Headquarters advisory committees on policies and reforms as an elected Board member and then as an elected President of an internal UNESCO Staff Savings and Loan Service for several years. 

He recently served as UNESCO Representative to Mozambique from June 2014 to December 2018 and as UNESCO Representative to Namibia from December 2018 to July 2023. 

Over the years, he has driven and participated in numerous talks and advocacy engagements, both nationally and internationally, to highlight the plight of people with albinism and to advocate for their rights primarily through his position at UNESCO’s offices in Mozambique and Namibia. 

He has been instrumental in the development of policies and programs that aim to protect the rights of persons with albinism notably in Mozambique and in Namibia. He was a contributor to the formulation of the African Union Plan of Action on Albinism. He remains active in its implementation. 

He actively participated in several key albinism milestone events including workshops hosted by the African Union to promote the Plan of Action on albinism, the first international albinism advocacy symposium in Tokyo, Japan, and numerous related. 

He is fluent in French, English, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia and has solid knowledge of Spanish, Swahili and basic Arabic.

Thando Hopa is an advocate of diversity who has made her mark globally. Her diverse portfolio includes her background as a sexual offence prosecutor in the regional court at the National Prosecuting Authority, an international fashion model and a cultural leader at the World Economic Forum. Her activism in media resulted in her contribution to United Nations policy discussions around albinism in the SADC region during its consultation phase and she became one of the founding delegates of the Global Albinism Alliance. 

Her impact is underscored by her recognition in the BBC’s Top 100 Inspirational and Influential Women globally. Additionally, she has actively participated in ideation workshops for renowned global entities, offering valuable perspectives to foster equitable and inclusive representation and participation for under-represented groups across various industries, including cosmetics, technology, finance, and non-governmental organizations.

Innocentia is a Zimbabwean-born human rights lawyer whose work focuses on advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Africa. Having earned a Law degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2010, Innocentia was awarded the Open Society Disability Rights Scholarship in 2013 which enabled her to study towards a Masters in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy at National University of Ireland, Galway. This laid the groundwork for her to advance and foster the formulation, implementation, and domestication of disability rights on the continent, including the rights of persons with albinism. Her contribution in albinism has included providing research support to the UN Independent Expert on Albinism, editing the first journal on economic, social, and cultural rights of persons with albinism in Southern Africa and supporting countries in the development of their National Action Plans. Innocentia is currently pursuing her PhD studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and she is an Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Tekano. Innocentia is also a human rights and capacity building consultant for the Africa Albinism Network, her work includes making submissions to treaty motoring bodies, special mechanisms, and other human rights organs at both the Africa Union and United Nations levels on issues affecting persons with albinism on the continent.

Mawunyo is a strong, articulate leader deeply committed to disability and gender issues. As a person with albinism who works as a strategic advocate on disability issues in Ghana, her goal is to champion disability and gender issues, as well as contribute to the empowerment of people with disabilities through advocacy. She served as the National President of the Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism and as Treasurer of the Commonwealth Disabled People Forum. Mawunyo is the first female president of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations since the organization’s inception in 1987, and the first Vice President of the West Africa Federation of the Disabled. She is also a Governing Board Member of the National Council on Persons with Disabilities, a Consultative Board Member of the Africa Albinism Network, and an Advisory Board Member of the Africa Centre for Retirement Research. She has an MBA in Accounting from the University of Cape Coast and works as an Assistant Director of Audit for the Ghana Audit Service. She is married and a proud mother of three.

Ikponwosa, also known as I.K., was the founding Executive Director of the Africa Albinism Network from 2021 to 2024.  From 2015 to 2021, she served diligently as the first United Nation Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism. Through her training as a lawyer, she has a decade of experience in the research, policy, and practice of international human rights law. Growing up with albinism in Nigeria gave I.K. a passion for the fight for the human rights of people with albinism. This passion has led her to work and advise multiple organizations and governments around the world. She was a principal architect of several international initiatives on persons with albinism including the African Union Plan of Action on Albinism in Africa (2021-2031). Beyond work, I.K. enjoys socializing with friends and landscape photography

Pearl Gottschalk (Lujan) is the storyteller for the Indigenous Women’s Flow Fund at The Kindle Project and has been deeply committed to advancing racial equity in philanthropy for over a decade. Her passion for ending discrimination of people with albinism began with her journey into Sierra Leone in 2007 and her work with people with disabilities at The World Bank and Leonard Cheshire Intl. She has worked with dozens of NGOs across 8 African countries and began her work with refugees and immigrants shortly upon returning to North America in 2008.

With over 15 years of experience in humanitarian aid and philanthropy, her career spans diverse roles across Africa and Latin America, working extensively with refugee populations and frontline Indigenous communities. Previously, she managed the LUSH Cosmetics Charity Pot Fund, supporting grassroots initiatives

Pearl holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies and a Master’s degree in International Conflict Resolution. Her passion for Indigenous philanthropy is evident through her work in developing Indigenous-led funds in collaboration with organizations like The Cultural Conservancy and Indigenous Climate Action, where she served as a Healing Justice Consultant.

Franck is an experienced English French-Fon translator and conference interpreter with over eighteen years of experience. He has a Master in Translation Studies from ESIT (Ecole Supérieures d’Interprètes et de Traducteurs). He is also a trained evangelist and missionary and as such, has been pastoring a church for 11 years. As co-founder and current Executive Director of Divine Connexion Worldwide he is, through this organization, one of the leading voices in favor of people with albinism in Benin. At the Africa Albinism Network he serves as the language liaison for the francophones as well as a member of the consultative board.