My name is Wemimo Deborah, and I am a daughter of Ekiti State. I grew up in a polygamous home where my father had two wives; my mother was the second. In our large family, my sister and I, both children of my mother, were the only ones born with albinism.
Growing up was not easy. From a young age, I felt the weight of the way people looked at me. Even within the walls of my own home, I felt like an outsider. Yet, in those early years, I found a sanctuary in school.
I loved my primary school years. My teachers and peers looked past my skin and saw my potential. They chose me as the Head Girl, and it gave me so much joy to lead. That success followed me into secondary school.
In secondary school, my leadership was put to the test. I was initially chosen to be the Senior Girl and Chapel Prefect. However, the school leadership decided I was the most deserving and neatest student in the entire set, so the school Principal insisted I also take on the role of Head Girl. Managing three major posts was strange, so, a teacher in the school objected, he said that i should hold the two previous role, but, the principal insisted on the post of a head girl and senior girl, I handled it perfectly.
Because of my low vision, I always sat in the front row so I could see the board. My friends were a gift from God; they took care of me and saw me as a person, not a color.
While I was celebrated at school, the atmosphere at home was often cold. My step-siblings, though not all of them, made me feel like I didn’t belong.
The most painful moment happened during the burial of my maternal grandfather. I was standing nearby, unseen, when I heard one of my stepsisters talking about me to someone else. She said in Yoruba: "Wemimo yi kii se eniyan, emere ni." (This Wemimo is not even a human being; she is a spirit.)
She told them I wasn't a real child of the family and shouldn't be among them, she continued to rain insults on me. It hurt deeply to hear my own blood call me a spirit just because of how I look, especially since I had never done her any wrong. I didn't respond to her though.
Thankfully, my maternal family was different; they loved and accepted my sister and me completely.
After secondary school, I pursued my education with determination. I wrote JAMB twice before I gained admission into the Polytechnic for my National Diploma (ND). I made 3 good friends here, we had a good relationship, whenever there’s issue or bad blood with any of them, I try my best to settle the whole thing and bring about peace.
I eventually moved to Ilorin to complete my Higher National Diploma (HND) at Kwara Polytechnic.
I got my first job there, worked for close to a year, I also got another job after that, which I was doing alongside my HND in kwara polytechnic, even after my HND I still worked there.
I worked as a cashier and a receptionist for a while, while studying, but it was after graduation that I truly realized the depth of discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
One day, a woman gave me the address of a company looking for a cashier. With my experience, I was confident. But when I arrived, they wouldn't even let me through the door. I called the woman, confused as to why I was turned away. She told me gently: "It is because of your color. They cannot employ you." I started to cry right there in her office, she told me not to cry that everything has a purpose. I went home and cried all day, but eventually, I realized that life must go on.
Later, during my NYSC in Lagos, I faced a lot of challenges here, where I am staying, but I trust God it will be alright at the end.
I applied for another job. The woman in charge called me for an interview herself. But when the security guard saw me, he began mocking me in Yoruba: "Oga o, orishirishi lariyenio" (A lot of strange things are seen these days). Inside, the woman took one look at me and lied, saying the job required "carrying heavy loads" and that I couldn't do it. That clearly was a lie as I was called in for an interview for something else, I just knew then that it wasn't about the work; it was about my skin.
It is baffling that people refuse to give you a chance simply because you are different.
If I had the funding, my passion is to go into business. I want to be an employer of labor so I can show the "abled" world how PWDs should be treated.
I would tell employers: "Give a PWD a three-month trial. If they can’t cope, let them go, but at least give them the chance to try."
To my fellow PWDs: Do not look down on yourselves. God created you in His image for a purpose. You are not a disgrace; you are a blessing. Be proud of your color or whatever disability you have, be proud of your uniqueness.
People will call us names when we walk by, and it is easy to get angry, but we must remember we are wonderfully made. Do not blame God. Everyone, whether they have albinism or dark skin, was created for a reason.
We are unique and we are different, don't listen to any negative comments out there.
I have come to believe every challenge we face in life has its own purpose, and God will bring something great from it, so you too can have a story to tell in the future and inspire someone.
When I am overwhelmed, I find peace in my hobbies: praying and singing. Sometimes I sing while I work, and the task is finished before I even realize it.
I shared this story because many people don’t understand our journey. My name is Wemimo Deborah. Being an albino does not make me a spirit. I am a leader, I am a worker, I am a friend, and above all, I am a human being. This is my story
Growing up was not easy. From a young age, I felt the weight of the way people looked at me. Even within the walls of my own home, I felt like an outsider. Yet, in those early years, I found a sanctuary in school.
I loved my primary school years. My teachers and peers looked past my skin and saw my potential. They chose me as the Head Girl, and it gave me so much joy to lead. That success followed me into secondary school.
In secondary school, my leadership was put to the test. I was initially chosen to be the Senior Girl and Chapel Prefect. However, the school leadership decided I was the most deserving and neatest student in the entire set, so the school Principal insisted I also take on the role of Head Girl. Managing three major posts was strange, so, a teacher in the school objected, he said that i should hold the two previous role, but, the principal insisted on the post of a head girl and senior girl, I handled it perfectly.
Because of my low vision, I always sat in the front row so I could see the board. My friends were a gift from God; they took care of me and saw me as a person, not a color.
While I was celebrated at school, the atmosphere at home was often cold. My step-siblings, though not all of them, made me feel like I didn’t belong.
The most painful moment happened during the burial of my maternal grandfather. I was standing nearby, unseen, when I heard one of my stepsisters talking about me to someone else. She said in Yoruba: "Wemimo yi kii se eniyan, emere ni." (This Wemimo is not even a human being; she is a spirit.)
She told them I wasn't a real child of the family and shouldn't be among them, she continued to rain insults on me. It hurt deeply to hear my own blood call me a spirit just because of how I look, especially since I had never done her any wrong. I didn't respond to her though.
Thankfully, my maternal family was different; they loved and accepted my sister and me completely.
After secondary school, I pursued my education with determination. I wrote JAMB twice before I gained admission into the Polytechnic for my National Diploma (ND). I made 3 good friends here, we had a good relationship, whenever there’s issue or bad blood with any of them, I try my best to settle the whole thing and bring about peace.
I eventually moved to Ilorin to complete my Higher National Diploma (HND) at Kwara Polytechnic.
I got my first job there, worked for close to a year, I also got another job after that, which I was doing alongside my HND in kwara polytechnic, even after my HND I still worked there.
I worked as a cashier and a receptionist for a while, while studying, but it was after graduation that I truly realized the depth of discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
One day, a woman gave me the address of a company looking for a cashier. With my experience, I was confident. But when I arrived, they wouldn't even let me through the door. I called the woman, confused as to why I was turned away. She told me gently: "It is because of your color. They cannot employ you." I started to cry right there in her office, she told me not to cry that everything has a purpose. I went home and cried all day, but eventually, I realized that life must go on.
Later, during my NYSC in Lagos, I faced a lot of challenges here, where I am staying, but I trust God it will be alright at the end.
I applied for another job. The woman in charge called me for an interview herself. But when the security guard saw me, he began mocking me in Yoruba: "Oga o, orishirishi lariyenio" (A lot of strange things are seen these days). Inside, the woman took one look at me and lied, saying the job required "carrying heavy loads" and that I couldn't do it. That clearly was a lie as I was called in for an interview for something else, I just knew then that it wasn't about the work; it was about my skin.
It is baffling that people refuse to give you a chance simply because you are different.
If I had the funding, my passion is to go into business. I want to be an employer of labor so I can show the "abled" world how PWDs should be treated.
I would tell employers: "Give a PWD a three-month trial. If they can’t cope, let them go, but at least give them the chance to try."
To my fellow PWDs: Do not look down on yourselves. God created you in His image for a purpose. You are not a disgrace; you are a blessing. Be proud of your color or whatever disability you have, be proud of your uniqueness.
People will call us names when we walk by, and it is easy to get angry, but we must remember we are wonderfully made. Do not blame God. Everyone, whether they have albinism or dark skin, was created for a reason.
We are unique and we are different, don't listen to any negative comments out there.
I have come to believe every challenge we face in life has its own purpose, and God will bring something great from it, so you too can have a story to tell in the future and inspire someone.
When I am overwhelmed, I find peace in my hobbies: praying and singing. Sometimes I sing while I work, and the task is finished before I even realize it.
I shared this story because many people don’t understand our journey. My name is Wemimo Deborah. Being an albino does not make me a spirit. I am a leader, I am a worker, I am a friend, and above all, I am a human being. This is my story