Project Description Child Health First project aims to significantly improve the health care of 25 still lacking blood glucose meters, children from 1-17 years with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) living in the rural area of Buyende, Uganda. The children are currently relying on hospital visits for blood sugar testing, preventing regular management. Due to microdonations' focus on rural community development and health care, this project will buy and deliver 25 glucometers and required test strips. One of the main activities involves intensive caregiver training on proper glucometer use to allow them to accurately monitor blood sugars at home. This is a short-term activity that will lead to well-managed sugar levels, which prevent complications, enhance quality of life, and encourage greater independence for these fragile children in their community.
Project History Child Health First project was initiated 2023, driven by personal experience of Executive Director Sarah as a parent of a child with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and her fierce empathy for others who were facing the same issues without adequate knowledge or support. Starting initially with 11 children, the initiative aimed to fill a huge gap in care for those with T1D in rural communities.
The project has widened its activities since its inception, and it now serves 43 children who travel as far as Kamuli, Luuka, and Kaliro districts to access vital services. Some of the services include the provision of insulin, comprehensive training on the management of glucose levels, and regular health screening. The impact on the lives of the children has been tremendous; a dramatic change has been observed in school attendance, from the initial 80% absence rate to just 30%. Despite these successes, the project has also experienced the deaths of two children due to poor glucose monitoring. The project has been sustained by the crucial support of Nsambya Hospital which is providing insulin and charitable contributions from individuals, enabling Safe Steps to continue its life-changing work.
Project Mission To empower children with Type 1 Diabetes living in rural Buyende with the provision of essential glucometers and training for caregivers, enabling them to manage blood sugar at home effectively. The project aims to improve health outcomes, stop hospital dependency, and maximize the welfare of these vulnerable children
Microdonation
With funding from Microdonation, we hope to specifically fund immediate purchase of 25 essential glucometers and their first set of test strips. This donation will also help cover the necessary training sessions for caregivers to ensure that they understand how to operate these machines to effectively monitor their children's blood glucose levels at home.
True Story
Our daughter wasted away before our eyes for four painful years. She was a little girl, but her body was a battleground. We are far in the village, and when she started showing strange symptoms – drinking all the time, always hungry, but losing weight, and so weak – our first suspicion, like that of most people in our community, was HIV! ' – that she was bewitched. We spent precious shillings and days trekking to witchdoctors, hoping to find a cure for what we believed was a spiritual affliction.
Each visit only brought more despair. Then came the perpetual hospital visits. From local small clinics to bigger hospitals, no one could quite make out what was stealing her childhood away from her.
It wasn't until after an agonizing visit to Mulago in Kampala, our last hope, that the doctors ultimately spoke the words: 'Type 1 Diabetes.' Oh, the relief, but the anguish in the knowledge of if only we had realized sooner, her little body would not have fought so long, would not have been quite so close to the edge. But diagnosis was merely the initial mountain. The doctors instructed us that we had to check her sugar level three times a day – morning, lunchtime, dinnertime. How? We had no glucometer. The nearest hospital that could conduct the test was 34 kilometers away. Imagine, having to walk that far, sometimes daily, just to get a reading, or more frequently, choosing not to go because our legs simply couldn't carry us, and our hearts couldn't make the journey.
Every time we skipped a check, it felt like we were gambling with her life. Then, one year later, a true angel, a human being, heard our silent prayers and simply gave us a glucometer. That little machine, friends, was not just plastic and metal; it was a miracle. A game-changer. Now, in the quiet of our house, at any time of day or night, we can prick her finger, read the number, and know. We no longer walk for hours; her future is no longer a bet based on distance. This simple tool gave control back to us, gave our daughter the hope of a normal life. This is why our project exists – to bring this same miracle, this same life-giving device and expertise, to every child like ours, so no family has to endure the journeys we did.
