Democratic Republic of Congo | Life for a Child with Diabetes

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the largest countries in Africa, and in many ways reflects the classic image of Africa with tropical climate, jungle, and tribal diversity. It has a population of 56 million. The 1970-1980s were decades of corruption and economic stagnation (during this time the country was known as Zaire). Following the fall of the dictator Mobuto in 1997, the country was plagued by civil strife and wars. In the last couple of years, the political situation has stabilised somewhat, but parts of the country are still utterly lawless. Kinshasa is the capital, a teeming metropolis of 6 million.

The plight of the 200+ children and adolescents with diabetes in and around Kinshasa is desperate. Capable medical care is provided by a joint Catholic Church/Salvation Army program. However resources are very limited, and there is extreme poverty. Some children quickly die because the family cannot afford supplies or come to clinic. Others are seen irregularly and have poor control. The Program is supporting 30 children directly, providing funds for insulin, syringes, needles, and two blood glucose meters for the clinics and 60 testing strips per child per year (home monitoring is not a priority). We also indirectly support the other 170+ children - providing funds for education materials and a nurse educator. Thanks to the generosity of Metrika, we also arranged for 30 single-use Hba1c kits, as there is no capacity for measuring HbA1c in the Congo.