The challenge
Gift Sakala always dreamed of becoming a nurse. She wanted a career where she could help others and make a difference in her community. However, growing up with albinism meant living with significant visual impairment, a challenge that many people do not fully understand.
At school, Gift often struggled to see what was written on the board and had to work harder than many of her classmates. Despite her determination, her vision created barriers that could not be ignored. As she learned more about the requirements of nursing, she realized that her eyesight would make it extremely difficult to safely perform many of the responsibilities required in the profession.
What helped
After realizing that her visual impairment would prevent her from pursuing a career in nursing, Gift began looking for other ways to create change. She became actively involved in advocacy for people with albinism and gradually discovered the power of using her voice to educate others and challenge misconceptions.
Over the years, she has held leadership roles within the albinism community and worked to promote the rights, safety, and inclusion of people with albinism in Zambia. Through public speaking, community outreach, and advocacy initiatives, she has helped bring attention to issues such as discrimination, healthcare access, education, employment, and the safety of people with albinism.
Her commitment to advocacy eventually led her to represent people with albinism on national and international platforms. Most notably, she has spoken at the United Nations Human Rights Council, where she shared the experiences and challenges faced by people with albinism and called for greater protection, awareness, and equal opportunities.
By using her voice to advocate for others, Gift found a new purpose. Although she could not become a nurse, she continues to improve lives by raising awareness, influencing discussions about disability rights, and ensuring that people with albinism are heard and represented.
In their words
As a child, Gift Sakala dreamed of becoming a nurse. She wanted to work in healthcare, help people, and make a difference in her community. However, like many people with albinism, she lived with a visual impairment that created challenges throughout her education. She often struggled to see what was written on the board and had to work harder than many of her classmates.
Despite her determination, she eventually realized that her eyesight would make it extremely difficult to pursue a career in nursing. Accepting that reality was hard. A dream she had carried for years suddenly seemed out of reach.
Rather than allowing this setback to stop her, Gift began becoming more involved in advocacy for people with albinism. Through this work, she met individuals and families facing challenges far greater than her own. She listened to stories of discrimination, exclusion, violence, and barriers to healthcare.
One experience stayed with her more than any other. During her advocacy work, she visited a young boy with albinism who was receiving treatment in a hospital. The boy was battling severe skin cancer, a disease that affects many people with albinism because of prolonged sun exposure and limited access to sunscreen and medical care. Gift spent time with him and witnessed firsthand the challenges he faced. Not long afterward, the boy passed away.
His death deeply affected her. It reinforced the urgent need for greater awareness, healthcare access, and protection for people with albinism. The experience strengthened her determination to continue advocating for change and ensuring that others would not be forgotten.
As Gift’s advocacy grew, so did her impact. She began speaking publicly about the realities faced by people with albinism and became a respected voice within the community. Her dedication eventually led her to international platforms, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, where she shared the experiences of people with albinism and called for greater inclusion, protection, and access to healthcare.
Although Gift never became a nurse, she found another way to serve others. Today, she continues to use her voice to raise awareness, influence policy, and create opportunities for future generations of people with albinism. Her journey shows that when one dream becomes impossible, another—sometimes even more powerful—can take its place.
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