Journey to Tanzania: Reporter Exposes Epidemic of Albino Killings

MWANZA, Tanzania, Oct. 2, 2009— -- I had just 24 hours to prepare for my trip to Africa. We had been reporting on the killing of Tanzanians with albinism, a genetic condition characterized by a lack of pigment in people's eyes, skin and hair, as part of an ABC News hour special.

In Tanzania, there has been a grotesque rash of albino killings: 54 people have been murdered since 2007, though observers say more incidences go unreported. Renegade witch doctors have convinced locals that there are magical properties in the blood, bones and skin of people with albinism, which has created a sickening black market where the limb of an albino can bring in anywhere from $500 to $2,000. In a country where the per capita income is roughly $450 a year, that's a macabre fortune.

Eager to meet Tanzanians with albinism, I got ready in a whirlwind. I had to get malaria pills, a nasty trio of vaccines and a tetanus booster in less than 24 hours. I ran to Patagonia in a panic. I braced my three young sons and their slightly anxious father for the fact that they'd have to get along without me for a week. Then I dove into our closets in search of baseball hats and toys. I've seen poverty and deprivation on trips before and I always end up wishing I had brought something along for the kids I met. I packed a huge duffel bag full of extra baby clothes, toys and "life-saving" hats.

I say "life-saving" because on average albinos in Tanzania die of painful skin cancer in their thirties, having been unprotected for a lifetime under the scorching African sun. With a collection of hats and a camera in tow, we set off on our journey to Africa.

We traveled to Tanzania and interviewed the family of a girl with albinism who was murdered.

Getting there wasn't easy. Driving through rural Tanzania after some heavy rain is a bone-jarring adventure; 5 kilometers can take 30 minutes to traverse. The muddy craters that make up the roads here make you marvel at the shock absorbers on a 4-wheel drive ... and appreciate the smooth highways back home.

During the less bumpy part of the drive, James Mitchell, a veteran ABC News cameraman based in South Africa, doubled as a fabulous tour guide, leading us through the Rift Valley and ultimately to meet the family of Eunice Bahati -- an 11-year-old girl with albinism who was butchered in the family's two-room mud hut -- only one room away from her two sisters.

Click here to find out how to help Tanzanians with albinism