Between Acceptance and Rejection: Lived Experiences of People with Albinism in Shinyanga Municipality, Tanzania

Tanzania has strengthened legal and advocacy responses concerning people with albinism (PWAs) but less is known about how PWAs experience respectful treatment in everyday community life. This study explored such experiences in Shinyanga Municipality using Social Inclusion Theory and a qualitative phenomenological design. Twenty-two participants, 10 PWAs, five community members, three local leaders and four representatives of organisations were purposively and snowball sampled. Data were collected in Kiswahili through semi-structured interviews, key-informant interviews and focus-group discussions, then analysed thematically. Three themes emerged: family acceptance and support; growing community acceptance associated by participants with awareness initiatives; and persistent stigma expressed through derogatory language, intrusive questions, staring and social distancing. Experiences varied by setting, with greater respect often reported in familiar spaces. The study concludes that inclusion is uneven and context-dependent: legal protection and awareness matter, but must be accompanied by respectful everyday interactions and institutional practice.