Rod Brown, founder and chief financial officer at Pleasanton, CA-based MadeToOrder (as/259540), is heading to Africa for 10 days this June.

It will be his fifth trip in a decade, a life-changing experience each time. He isn’t going for any safari tours, though. He plans on making a difference in the lives of young people in Malawi, the third poorest nation on earth, according to the International Monetary Fund.

An estimated 7,000-10,000 people in Malawi live with albinism, according to Amnesty International. It’s a rare, non-contagious, genetic condition that results in the absence of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. Albinism is also closely connected to severe vision impairment, meaning many people with the condition are either blind or legally blind.

“Many of these people are orphans, ostracized from their villages because their own people are afraid of them,” Brown says. “They’re hunted and sold on the black market because they’re worth thousands of dollars due to a prevailing ‘witch doctor’ mentality that says if you grind up the bones or drink the blood of an albino, you’ll end up with special powers. Maybe you’ll be more virile, have better luck, become richer, whatever.”

Since November 2014, the number of reported crimes against people with albinism in Malawi has risen to 148 cases, according to the Malawi Police Service and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Only 30% of those 148 reported cases against people with albinism have been concluded. At least 21 people with albinism have been killed since 2014, Amnesty International reported.

Brown learned of this crisis when Piedmont Community Church (he’s buddies with senior minister Rev. Dr. William McNabb) adopted a sister church: Kafita CCAP in Lilongwe, Malawi. Brown joined a few parishioners during their first trip to the region (the flight lasted “around 40 hours door to door”), visiting The Chilanga School for the Blind, Nkhoma Mission Hospital and a rural orphanage along the way.

The Power of Perspective

“Give me a pint and I’ll save a life.”

That’s what Martha Sommers, the only doctor for 1,000 square kilometers in Northern Malawi, told Brown. More than 25% of all deaths in Malawi are attributed to HIV/AIDS, the leading cause of death in the country, according to the Presbyterian Mission. Over a million children have been orphaned as a result of the disease. The spread of HIV/AIDS is exacerbated by the fact that the patient-doctor ratio is 55,000 to one. As a result, the country is in desperate need of clean blood, which Brown eagerly gave.

When he entered the lobby of his hotel, waiting on the bus to take him to the church, a youth choir welcomed him with beautiful singing and kept the harmonious tune throughout the ride. “It was really spectacular,” Brown says. “It’s a terrific re-centering moment in your life. I want to expose to more people what it is to live like this, to have faith and to be able to find joy and happiness in small amounts.”

Brown was able to procure 350 kilograms of corn maize (meal) from the black market, enough food to last the children through the winter. He also bought three bags of rice and beans, a special treat for which the children were grateful. “I’m under no illusion that I will change the direction of these kids’ lives, but I can ensure that on this day, they can have a great day,” he says.

During Brown’s last visit in 2016, SanMar (asi/84863), the promo industry’s largest supplier by revenue, donated kids’ T-shirts and luggage. Brown also brought hats to keep the sun off the children’s faces and a slew of shirts from Brooks Brothers for the pastors and staff. Because you can’t ship anything to the area, he had to stuff everything in his luggage. “I deflated 50 soccer balls and brought a bunch of needles with me to inflate them over there,” Brown says.

SanMar has renewed its contributions for new shirts and luggage again this year, as Brown and three of his friends travel back to Malawi on June 10. The plan is for each to bring close to $10,000 in cash, which will be converted to local currency to purchase food and supplies for the churches, feeding stations, orphanage and hospital.

“On a personal level, it’s incredibly valuable to go do this,” Brown says. “I want people to have the same kind of experience I have, in a minor way. When you start feeling depressed about life, you see how it can get worse.”

In addition, Brown is bringing a film crew this year to create a short documentary. He wants to edit the film in three ways: Nkhoma Mission Hospital can use it for marketing, Piedmont Community Church can use it to promote mission trips and Brown can use it to show the world his experience.

“They need their voices heard,” Brown says. “Having people aware helps combat the problem. It may take decades, but slowly the world won’t allow this behavior to go on.”

Brown has created a GoFundMe for members of the promotional products industry to donate to The Chilanga School for the Blind, Nkhoma Mission Hospital, Kafita Church Feeding Program, Calvary Church Mponela Feeding Program and Chiombomwala Home for Widows and Orphans. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com.