SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE WITH ALBINISM

INTRODUCTION
Due to genetic factors, people with albinism partially or totally lack the capacity to produce melanin. This explains their pale appearance, and their unique vulnerability to sun damage. With adequate sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved clothing, sun protection education and regular medical check-ups, no person with albinism has to die of skin cancer. Many people with albinism are stigmatized because of their pale appearance.
The Kilisun project contributes to save people with albinism. The project was launched in Tanzania by a Spanish pharmaceutical company that created and distributed a specific sunscreen called Kilimanjaro Suncare to the most remote regions of the country through mobile clinics, schools and local platforms. The project emphasizes the importance of educating on sun protection not only the beneficiaries of the program, but also their families, doctors, teachers and the whole community.

OBJECTIVES
The Pharmacy students at Universidad San Jorge, through their learning in different subjects: Dermopharmacy, Individualized Medicine, Biotechnology, Immunology and Physiology, generate useful material for the Kilisun project using English as the vehicular language.

METHODOLOGY
Students create infographics about some topics seen in the subjects involved and related to the project. They will also create an educational leaflet that will be used to disseminate the Kilisun project in other foreign countries.

RESULTS
-Infographics about some topics seen in the subjects involved in the project.
-Educational leaflet written in English, which summarizes the Kilisun project.
All these materials are aimed to be used in the dissemination of the Kilisun project in other foreign countries.

CONCLUSIONS
There is a clear benefit in the use of learning-service activities in addition to the integration of English in the curriculum.
This project shows the students how their learning and their future professional actions may contribute to amazing results, such as helping hundreds of people with albinism and decreasing its incidence and mortality. The project exhibits the social aspect of the pharmaceutical profession.