it was all smiles for fifty four children in Kisii county after they were offered specialized Diabetes training by The Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Centre (DMI) and Safaricom Foundation.
Those children were aged between 2 – 18 years and were accompanied by their parents and guardians for the three-day training held at Ufanisi Resort. The training was offered in a bid to reduce the information gap about diabetes in the community.
“It is alarming that there are 172 cases of diabetes in children being treated each month at the Kisii Training and Referral Hospital. It is more shocking that there are two to three new cases diagnosed each month. That is why this partnership is important as we are able to reach those in marginalized areas who lack access to these crucial services. Health is one of our main areas of focus as a foundation,” said Linda Ogunde, Regional Coordinator, Safaricom.
This is part of Safaricom Foundation’s Shs26.6 million grant towards various medical camps that will be held across the country in the coming months.
“Many of the trainees here today are cases that have only recently been diagnosed. This training will help the children and their parents to cope with the situation emotionally while giving them the skills to manage the condition and avoid complications. We picked this region to hold the camp due to the many cases of diabetes especially in children,” said Eva Muchemi, Executive Director, DMI.
DMI was founded 18 years ago and aims at educating the public about diabetes and how best to manage it. It was formed after concerns on the alarming increase of diabetes across the country.
Safaricom Foundation have partnered with DMI since 2001 and this is the seventh phase of the medical camps. Since inception, Safaricom Foundation has funded 119 adult and youth camps at a cost of Ksh 167.2 million with 299, 310 people benefiting.
