Tanzanian child victims of attacks are given new limbs

Four Tanzanian children with albinism who lost limbs receive prosthetics.

ByABC News
June 14, 2017, 6:38 AM

— -- Four Tanzanian children with albinism who lost limbs, fingers, and teeth in superstition-driven attacks made their way home this week after receiving prosthetics - and a dose of confidence - in the United States.

The children, ages 7, 14, 15 and 16, were treated free of charge at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

PHOTO: Baraka Lusambo, 7, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, puts on his shirt during a prosthetic fitting while he sucks on his lollipop, at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.
Baraka Lusambo, 7, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, puts on his shirt during a prosthetic fitting while he sucks on his lollipop, at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.

Their travel and housing expenses were covered by the Global Medical Relief Fund, a New York-based charity that helps children who have been injured in conflicts or disasters.

PHOTO: Mwigulu Magesaa 14, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, gets help in an examination room during a prosthetic fitting at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.
Mwigulu Magesaa 14, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, gets help in an examination room during a prosthetic fitting at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.

"When they come here, they have lost so much. They have lost part of their youth and part of their dignity," said Elissa Montanti, founder of the fund, who housed them in the New York City borough of Staten Island.

PHOTO: Pendo Noni, 16, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, looks at her prosthetic hook at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.
Pendo Noni, 16, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, looks at her prosthetic hook at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.

"We put them back together," she said. "When they go back, they have a stronger sense of empowerment."

To stay in the United States, the children would have to file for asylum, and the fund can only afford to pay for the them while they receive medical care, Montanti said.

Baraka Lusambo, 7, Mwigulu Magesaa 14, Emmanuel Rutema, 15, and Pendo Noni 16, Tanzanians with albinism who had body parts chopped off in witchcraft-driven attacks, eat dinner at a home in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 4, 2017.
Baraka Lusambo, 7, Mwigulu Magesaa 14, Emmanuel Rutema, 15, and Pendo Noni 16, Tanzanians with albinism who had body parts chopped off in witchcraft-driven attacks, eat dinner at a home in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 4, 2017.

A congenital disorder affecting about one in 20,000 people worldwide, albinism causes lack of pigment in skin, hair and eyes, and is more common in sub-Saharan Africa than other parts of the world. In Tanzania, it affects about one in 1,400.

Albinos are attacked for their body parts, which are highly prized in witchcraft and can fetch a high price. Superstition leads many people in Tanzania to believe that albinos are ghosts who bring bad luck.

PHOTO: Mwigulu Magesaa 14, wakes up Emmanuel Rutema, 15, both Tanzanians with albinism who had body parts chopped off in witchcraft-driven attacks, at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.
Mwigulu Magesaa 14, wakes up Emmanuel Rutema, 15, both Tanzanians with albinism who had body parts chopped off in witchcraft-driven attacks, at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.

The United Nations estimates that at least 75 albinos were killed in Tanzania between 2000 and 2015 but says that could represent a fraction of the attacks as most occur in secretive rituals in rural areas.

PHOTO: Pendo Noni, 16, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, looks out of the window at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.
Pendo Noni, 16, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, looks out of the window at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 2, 2017.

As they moved through the stages of treatment and recovery, drawing, talking among themselves in Swahili, searching for YouTube videos on Google and watching cartoons helped the children heal. They typically visited the hospital five times during their two- to three-month stay.

Mwigulu Magesa, 14, said he wants to be president of Tanzania one day. Emmanuel Rutema, 15, wants to be a doctor.

PHOTO: Mwigulu Magesaa, 14, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, waits in an examination room during a prosthetic fitting at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.
Mwigulu Magesaa, 14, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, waits in an examination room during a prosthetic fitting at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.

Though they have a good grasp of English, which they study at home, the children were accompanied by Ester Rwela, a translator and social worker with the charity Under the Same Sun, which advocates for people with albinism.

"The first time the Tanzanian kids came in, there was not a lot of conversation. They were extremely shy. They kind of huddled together in a pack," said Dr. Scott Kozin, chief of staff at Shriners Hospital.

PHOTO: Mwigulu Magesaa, left, Baraka Lusambo, center, and Pendo Noni, wait in the lobby during prosthetic arm fittings at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017.
Mwigulu Magesaa, left, Baraka Lusambo, center, and Pendo Noni, wait in the lobby during prosthetic arm fittings at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, May 30, 2017. All three are Tanzanians with albinism who had body parts chopped off in witchcraft-driven attacks.

"They weren't used to us and we weren't used to them, and there were a lot of awkward moments. And then as they got to know us, they started to open up to me and to the staff and to the therapists," he said.

PHOTO: Baraka Lusambo, 7, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, puts on his prosthetic arm at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 3, 2017.
Baraka Lusambo, 7, a Tanzanian with albinism who had an arm chopped off in a witchcraft-driven attack, puts on his prosthetic arm at the Global Medical Relief Fund house in the Staten Island borough of New York, June 3, 2017.

The children are able to attach and adjust prosthetic arms to their bodies, wash their laundry by hand and hang it to dry and make dinner.

Near the end of their stay, they would walk into the hospital with confidence, sporting sunglasses and button-down shirts and looking "like they were home," Kozin said.

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