HOW IT ALL
STARTED
HOW IT ALL
STARTED
STARTED
Hello, I'm Mafalda Soto, co-founder of UMOA and part of a team of pharmacists and dermatologists involved in the care of one of the most delicate skins in the world: the skins of people with albinism.
To understand how we have come to this point, we must go back to 2008, the year when I embarked on a volunteering experience in Malawi.
It was in this small country in the heart of Africa where I discovered how challenging life can be if you are born with albinism in a society where lack of information, prejudice, and superstitions can dictate your exclusion.
I am referring to situations of extreme discrimination that can result in the loss of lives for those who experience them, as well as the difficulties faced by thousands of people who live in a constant struggle to protect themselves from the sun and prevent the development of skin cancer that could end their lives before turning 30.
This journey changed my life and laid the foundations for a project that aims to ensure that people with albinism in Africa live a safer and more dignified life.
All of this is possible thanks to the support of a wonderful local team and many other dedicated individuals and organizations, without whom none of this could have come to fruition.
Today, UMOA exists to raise awareness of the reality of people excluded due to their Different Diversity, a form of diversity that does not "fit in", while also serving as a channel for raising funds to finance protection and empowerment projects for people with albinism in countries where they suffer from discrimination.
Today, We want UMOA to become a platform to spread the value of diversity in all its forms, through messages of acceptance, inclusion, and celebration of differences among people; differences that, undoubtedly, are the greatest wealth of our society.
And finally, we want to offer you the profound knowledge of skin from a team of experts who have been dedicated for many years to the study and care of the most sensitive skin.
