Survival for any length of time in the predatory world of wildlife is difficult enough under normal conditions, but it is almost impossible for the albino al-BY-noh animal. An albino is born without the ability to produce color pigment in its skin, hair, feathers, scales, or eyes. As a result, its hair, feathers, or scales range from snowy white to an off-white straw color. Any exposed skin usually has a pinkish look from the network of blood vessels visible through the transparent skin tissue. With the exception of its white coloration, the albino resembles normal members of its species in all respects. When it is natural for members of the species to be white, the true albino can be distinguished by its pink or red eyes. This distinctive eye color is caused by the blood in the tiny vessels of the iris showing through the transparent parts.

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For street vendor Barbra Anyinge, who normally sells shoes in Lira, a town in northern Uganda, the pandemic has made one essential especially scarce: sunscreen. Activist Pat Robert Larubi , who advocates for those with albinism and disabilities, has traveled more then kilometers, nearly miles, on a motorbike across Uganda to provide three units each of sunscreen to hundreds of people with albinism. The organization receives sunscreen units as donations from the United Kingdom-based Advantage Africa , prompting Larubi to set out last month to deliver it directly to those who need it most.