By Jeannie McMacken
Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — What would it be like to be different — so different that your life was in danger every day because of it?
When Reverend Tony Brown of Trinity United Methodist Church in Port Townsend went to Manzini, Swaziland, in 2017 on a service mission to renovate an orphanage, he immediately noticed something unusual.
“Here was this one white kid standing out among all the others,” Brown said.
Brown soon learned about Walter who has albinism. Walter, now 18 years old, had been threatened so his mother agreed to place him in the orphanage two hours away from his village home because she felt he had a better chance of survival there.
“People with albinism are rare and coveted in Africa, especially Swaziland,” Brown said. “They are often threatened, captured and then killed.
“Their body parts, particularly their hair and skin, are valuable on the black market and are used to make potions and charms. It’s used in rituals and witch doctor kind of stuff that is supposed to bring wealth, power and luck. They are seen almost as the Magic Unicorn,” he continued.
“This year, Swaziland is holding elections in the fall. Politicians seek out witch doctors to provide them with potions and special concoctions so they might win the election. This behavior is very entrenched in these societies.”
As he learned more about these human rights issues, Brown thought there must a way he could arrange for asylum for this young man.
“He’s going to be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life if he remains there,” Brown said.
“It isn’t that being in the orphanage would get Walter away from people who might be looking for him, but that it got him away from the immediate danger that he was facing.
“It’s just a matter of time that this issue could pop up again.”
Brown said Walter had been threatened on a couple of occasions and those instances were documented by a local social worker.
Walter, whose surname is not used because of safety concerns, speaks English well and is a bright, well- mannered and courteous teenager, Brown said.
“He was the natural leader,” Brown said. “He was new to the group, having arrived about six months before we got there. But when we were building a playground and painting it, he would gather the boys around and make sure they all had jobs to do.
“When we talked about Walter with our church leaders, we thought about investigating how to get him asylum in the United States.”
Brown’s research led him to Under the Same Sun — https://www.underthesamesun.com/ — a Christian organization that works with people who have albinism to get them to safety, either in their own country or receiving asylum somewhere.
“This process always goes through in the U.S. They’ve never failed in getting someone who is in danger asylum here,” Brown says.
Brown was confident he could get pro bono lawyers on board as well.
“As soon as we felt this was a go, that’s when we contacted Walter and his mother. We wanted someone there to have a conversation with him. It meant that most likely he would not be able to go back to Swaziland for a long time, if ever. That meant maybe not seeing his mom.”
Walter and his mother immediately agreed to the plan, saying they both wanted this to happen.
“Once we had a yes from them, and the local social worker and the organization were in agreement, that’s when we made the decision to begin moving forward with fundraising to make this happen,” Brown said.
He admitted that it seemed like a long time between the “yes” in September and today but said things are beginning to come together.
“A few weeks ago global law firm DLA Piper, LLP agreed to provide pro bono work on Walter’s behalf,” he said.
“Another group, IRAP, the International Refugee Assistance Project, based in New York, agreed to provide advocacy.
“Just a couple days ago all the paperwork was filed. This could mean Walter will arrive in four to six months, but possibly sooner,” Brown said.
“The Swaziland government is also excited about this opportunity for Walter,” he added. “They are not standing in the way. Swaziland is like a big family; there seems to be a sense of caring about the well-being of their people. As a society, they are very close-knit.”
Brown has agreed to be Walter’s sponsor and has arranged for him to live in Bellevue. The decision to have him live there provides more access to employment, education, culture and job opportunities.
“He’ll probably go to Bellevue Community College to finish high school work,” Brown said.
“He’s currently a senior but has stopped attending school because of safety reasons. He was walking one hour one way to school and just that wasn’t safe. Walter probably won’t have any problems getting grants and scholarships here.
“My church in Port Townsend voted to support Walter in any way they can,” he added.
Currently about $4,000 has been raised for Walter’s asylum. Brown hopes to raise around $20,000. He believes it may be necessary to hire an immigration lawyer once Walter arrives and that cost has not been determined.
For more about the danger to people with albinism in Swaziland, see a story on the All Africa website at http://allafrica.com/stories/201606210170.html.
To help Walter with his trip to America, visit the church website at www.trinityumcpt.org. Click on “Donate,” and be taken to another page with another Donate button. Click that button. “Walter’s Asylum” is the second choice. Or send a check to: Trinity UMC, 609 Taylor St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. All donations are tax deductible.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladailynews.com.
