Crowdfunding Campaign To Raise Support For Vitiligo Awareness In Sub-Saharan Africa Launched

LAGOS, NIGERIA, September 1, 2015 – VITSAF has launched a campaign to help raise awareness for Vitiligo in Sub-Saharan Africa. The organization strives to offer those living with Vitiligo the resources they need to understand their condition, rights, and well-being.

VITSAF Crowdfunding campaign Video
Vitiligo is a skin disorder that causes skin to lose melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its color. Vitiligo (pronounced vit-ill-EYE-go) is a generally unpredictable skin condition, which results white patches appearing on the skin. Vitiligo has a devastating effect on social life of the individual living with it and their family. This is the same skin disorder that Michael Jackson was known to have. In areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, people still view Vitiligo condition as a curse, a frightening condition, nemesis, anger of the gods and a strange ailment. and this campaign will focus on educating, enlightening, and raising overall awareness of the disease.

This campaign has been put together

• To raise funds for Vitiligo awareness, provide enlightenment and create extensive Vitiligo awareness/enlightenment and education through promotion, marketing and positive PR.

• To build capacity and structures and also inaugurate all partner groups of Vitiligo in Select Sub-Saharan Africa, where Vitiligo is still seen as being a curse, a frightening condition, nemesis, anger of the gods and a strange ailment.

• And to give seed funding and possibly stipends to coordinators/Executive Directors.

The team behind this campaign decided to use crowdfunding because it was a great way to reach out to sympathizers all over the world. Symptoms of Vitiligo can begin at any age, and while it is suspected that there is an autoimmune component to the cause, the actual cause is unknown. Many affected patients see its onset before the age of 20, and in half of those affected there is a family history of the disease or early graying of hair.

The campaign has several different levels of donation ranging from $10 to $1,000. Each level of donation comes with an exclusive incentive. Those who back the campaign will receive exclusive perks ranging from a thank you letter to exclusive skin care products. Those who offer a $1,000 donation will receive an exclusive VITSAF pack – a gift set from VITSAF including personal or business logos on the organization’s website, 2 packs of vitiligo awareness card decks, and a signed hardcopy of a vitiligo portrait.

Funds raised will be used to raise awareness in certain African countries, launch vitiligo support groups in those areas, and organize workshops for the leaders of the support groups.

More information can be found at http://igg.me/at/Vitiligo-awareness-africa .

About VITSAF
VITSAF is the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation, an organization that provides absolute support for those living with Vitiligo, Technical support and hopefully resources for Vitiligo Support groups/organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Our Mission
We improve Quality of Life’s (QoL) of individuals and their families living with Vitiligo, altered images and skin health by providing absolute support, extensive awareness, enlightenment and advocate for their Rights and well-being.

VITSAF’s major goals are Rights and well-being, Absolute Support, extensive Vitiligo and skin health awareness and enlightenment; motivating behavior change around unusual visual appearance through Entertainment Education.