A Gruesome Black Market in Albino Limbs

There are approximately 170,000 albinos living in Tanzania. Not only do they suffer from chronically poor vision and the constant specter of skin cancer, they now face a new threat: a violent black market.

Many witch doctors in the region believe an albino's limb is a talisman. They prey on superstitions; some people now believe the limbs bring good fortune to their fishing nets or gold mines. Many albinos fear for their lives, and many have fled.

This gallery of images by Maro Kouri depicts their plight.

Here, a 22-year-old mother of twins plays with her child. The family moved to Burahati, near Dar El Salam, Tanzania, because of constant threats from locals in the coastal region of Kilwa. In Burahati, she remains at risk.