A social worker living with albinism, Kwame Andrews Daklo, says finding a love partner is a tough challenge for people with his condition.

In reality, dreams of love and relationships can be a lot of work but for people with disabilities, it could be even more complicated. Their need for love and connection is often called into question.

Kwame who spoke to GhanaWeb, shared a bitter experience when he tried to date a woman who did not live with albinism.

According to him, his first girlfriend was teased out of their relationship. “My first girlfriend did not have my condition. A lot of people mocked her for dating an ‘ofri’ and she eventually left the relationship.”

Although his first relationship was short-lived, he didn’t give and tried again but that one was not any better because he consistently received heartbreaking comments from his girlfriend’s family.

“My girlfriend’s mother told me that I smelled like fresh tilapia so she did not want me close to their family. Her mum also said she could not even eat when I am around because my presence made her nauseous.”

Kwame also indicated a hard deal of stigma that he has to endure as he goes about his daily life.

As the world battles COVID-19, people have tagged me as a carrier of the virus because of my colour, he told GhanaWeb.

“I was out one last night and when a certain guy saw me, he started shouting, ‘coronavirus man! Coronavirus man!’ but I did not even bother to mind him because I was in a hurry, so I just walked away.”

“This is a popular experience I keep encountering since the coronavirus pandemic hit all aspects of the world. I don’t even know where people get that perception from,” he said.

He, therefore, urged the general public to dispel false notions and rather help them fight for a life that is free of stigma.