For years, people with albinism on a cluster of islands off Panama’s Caribbean coast have been venerated as ‘children of the moon’. The close-knit community make up 5-10% of the 80,000 indigenous people who live on the Guna Yala archipelago. With their sun-sensitive skin and eyes, albino children must be shuttled to and from school while their friends study outside and play in the streets. Instead, many opt to venture out after dark and play in the moonlight
International Albinism Awareness Day is on 13 June
Carlos Jasso/ Reuters
Fri 12 Jun 2015 07.36 EDT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 12.17 EDT
Aneth Fernadez, 20, cradles her newborn baby. Albinism affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Olowignikaliler Dias, three, enjoys a mango with friends and relatives outside his home in Ogobsugun Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Six-year-old Delyane Avila draws on her notebook next to her neighbours. People with albinism have a reduced amount of melanin – or none at all Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Kipigaliler Harris, five, stands with friends and relatives near his house in Ogobsugun. Albinism does not require treatment, but the associated skin and eye problems it can cause do Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
An archive photograph of Margarita during her visit to Washington in 1924. The photograph is displayed at the Guna congress on Achutupu island in the Guna Yala region, Panam. Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
