There is a kidney disease epidemic happening in western Nicaragua. In one town, called La Isla, 70% of the men and 30% of the women have it. People in the area refer to the town, where 30% of the households are headed by widows, as La Isla de las Viudas — The Island of Widows.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also called chronic renal disease and chronic renal failure, is caused, in our country, by diabetic nephropathy and hypertension (high blood pressure).
But in Latin America, there is a growing class of patients with CKD who do not have those conditions. The patients are described as young males who live close to riverbanks, have worked on large farms and have been exposed to pesticides. In Central America, CKD is more frequent among men, specifically agricultural laborers (who work with various crops, but predominantly sugarcane) who are exposed to large amounts of agrochemicals, and inhabitants of areas less than 100 meters above sea level.
La Isla Foundation wants the world to know.
La Isla Foundation works to
- Increase Awareness of the Epidemic
- Provide Urgent Medical Care and Community Outreach
- Study the Causes of the Epidemic
- Develop Sustainable Agriculture Alternatives for the Community
- Fight for Human Rights Protections and Labor Reforms
La Isla Foundation is our Charity of the Month, and a portion of our proceeds will support their work.