Meeting for a workshop on community mobilisation in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
06/05/2026
29 community leaders from 18 African countries, meeting for a workshop on community mobilisation on 24, 25 and 26 March 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Community mobilisation at the heart of the challenges faced by organisations for people with albinism
People with albinism face numerous obstacles in their daily lives, linked in particular to a lack of information, misconceptions, and limited access to appropriate health and education services. These realities have profound consequences for their social inclusion, their access to care, and their ability to assert their rights.
Faced with these challenges, community mobilisation emerges as a key lever. It enables organisations to inform, raise awareness and create the conditions for sustainable change, provided that they have the necessary tools and capacity to act effectively.
With this in mind, the Fondation Pierre Fabre brought together, on 24, 25 and 26 March 2026 in Abidjan, 29 representatives from organisations across 18 sub-Saharan African countries, as part of the APPASAAS project (Improving protection, prevention and access to care for people with albinism in sub-Saharan Africa). Over two days, these dedicated individuals working on behalf of people with albinism shared their experiences, compared their practices and collectively explored ways to strengthen their efforts within their communities.
A capacity-building initiative
The workshop alternated between presentations, group work and role-play exercises, enabling participants to gain practical experience of the tools and methods presented.
Highlights included:
- Sessions dedicated to developing community mobilisation strategies;
- Practical workshops on health communication and awareness-raising;
- The discovery and adoption of tools developed as part of the APPASAAS project: posters, leaflets, and Kamishibai theatre, a visual and participatory awareness-raising tool.
What is community mobilisation?
Community mobilisation refers to the set of processes through which a community is encouraged to inform itself, become aware of a shared issue and act collectively to address it. In the context of albinism, it involves actively engaging people with albinism, their families, community leaders and local stakeholders in prevention, awareness-raising and the fight against discrimination. It is not about acting for communities, but with them, building on their own realities and resources to create lasting change.
Why a regional workshop?
The APPASAAS project itself arose from numerous discussions between the Fondation Pierre Fabre, its civil society partners, and various stakeholders working on behalf of people with albinism. This dynamic of dialogue and collaborative development guides the implementation of the project, including during these regional meetings.
A workshop such as the one in Abidjan is not merely about organising a training session: it is an opportunity to structure the network, connect associations, and strengthen a collective identity. Sharing best practices among peers, discussing the challenges faced in different environments, and drawing inspiration from one another—all of this builds the associations’ capacity to champion the voices of people with albinism with greater strength and legitimacy.
The end of the workshop, marked by the APPASAAS Olympics – a team-building event combining quizzes, sporting challenges, group activities and opportunities for discussion – vividly illustrated this conviction: camaraderie, play and sharing are not trivial. They serve to forge connections, and thus to drive action.
Award ceremony for the winners of the 2025 call for projects
Following on from this workshop, on Wednesday 26 March, an award ceremony for the winners of the 2025 call for projects on albinism was held in the presence of the Executive Director of the Fondation Pierre Fabre, honouring the 11 selected organisations.
In 2025, the Fondation Pierre Fabre sought to strengthen its commitment and action by setting up a €140,000 support fund dedicated to albinism, to support local initiatives that make a difference on the ground.
This call for projects, open to non-profit associations and organisations working to support people with albinism, generated remarkable interest, with nearly 70 proposals received. These projects, led by grassroots organisations, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrate a growing commitment to supporting people with albinism across the continent.
Congratulations to the laureates:
- Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN) – Nigeria
- Valeur Albinos – Benin
- Lyakirema Initiative for Persons with Albinism (LIPA) – Uganda
- Women with Albinism Association (WAA) – Uganda
- Organisation for Integration and Promotion of People with Albinism (OIPPA) – Rwanda
- Health Alert Organisation (HAO) – Rwanda
- Association des Femmes Albinos du Burkina (AFAB) – Burkina Faso
- Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi (APAM) – Malawi
- The Noble Hands Trust Zimbabwe (TNHTZ) – Zimbabwe
- Fundación Nacional de Albinismo Simplemente Amigos de la República Argentina (FUNDASA) – Argentina
- Global Albinism Alliance (GAA) – Czech Republic
This week in Abidjan will remain a highlight of the APPASAAS project: a time for meeting and mutual learning, true to the approach that the Fondation Pierre Fabre has defended since its inception – that of a partnership rooted in trust, respect for local knowledge and the conviction that it is by working together that we build lasting change.
