End the fatal epidemic of CKDu
Tax deductible
JOIN US TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL WORKERS WORLDWIDE!
A fatal epidemic called chronic kidney disease of undetermined causes (or CKDu) has been killing the world’s most vulnerable workers for decades. Those impacted by CKDu are predominantly agricultural laborers, their families, and the communities they live in. These CKDu-ravaged communities are impoverished and treatment for the disease in most cases is not easily accessible or financially feasible. These laborers work for such industries as sugar, rice, coconut and nuts. They are the workers who harvest the crops that end up as the sugar we put in our coffee and the rice in our cupboards.
These workers are sick, dying and need your help! Support La Isla Network as we improve working conditions associated with CKDu, improve access to care, and support a new generation of leaders in the community where we began our work.
Research suggests that heat stress and dehydration due to excessive workload is cause for repeated kidney injury. It is estimated that CKDu has killed tens of thousands of agricultural workers in Central America and Sri Lanka—as well as countless more in other areas of the world.
The stories of young workers dying of CKDu are far too common. When the working conditions of 'the only job in town' have likely contributed to the death of the older generation(s) of family members, outlook on life is bleak. In some sugarcane communities in Nicaragua, over 40% require treatment for CKDu, but it is out of reach for most.
Our Story
For the last decade, La Isla Network [La Isla Foundation 501(c)(3) ] has been dedicated to ending CKDu among workers and their communities worldwide. As La Isla Network continues to expand its strategic focus globally, we are in need of funding to help generate, support and execute our evidence-driven solutions on a macro level.
La Isla's groundbreaking initiatives include key players within the supply chain. We approach the epidemic of CKDu as a collaborative unit. These initiatives focus on the betterment of individual livelihoods, their families and their communities alike. Below, are La Isla Network's current initiatives for ending the CKDu epidemic.
ADELANTE INITIATIVE ($30K GOAL)
The Adelante Initiative is a platform to evaluate work practices and improve them with the best possible data while utilizing the learnings from La Isla Network's Worker Health and Efficiency Program (WE Program). The WE Program was the first-ever intervention protocol to evaluate ways to reduce the harmful effects of heat stress and CKDu among the sugarcane workforce. The WE Program was led by La Isla Network and research institutions around the world, with consultation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-NIOSH), and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM).
The WE Program provides the foundation for the Adelante Initiative, a multi-sectoral collaboration to improve workplace practices. The program improves working conditions for all types of field workers in sugarcane by providing water, rest, shade, appropriate outerwear, including a hat and breathable shirt, an ergonomic machete, and efficiency training from industry experts. This work is expected to also further illuminate the drivers of CKDu as researchers assess cross-harvest changes in biomarkers for worker health and track employee productivity.
The initiative provides what is essentially a dynamic lab at one of the most logistically competent sugar mills in the Americas, Ingenio San Antonio , located in Nicaragua. The Adelante Initiative’s founding partners are the following: Bonsucro, La Isla Network, Nicaragua Sugar Estates Limited and The Nicaraguan Sugar Producers Association.
We will provide the lessons learned from our efforts in a pre-competitive space to all stakeholders via Bonsucro , an international organization that ensures responsible sugarcane production. Learnings will help inform the Bonsucro certification and be used to inform policy advocacy for worker protections at the state and international level.
Our hope is that we can support, and be supported by all producers along the supply chain looking to ensure their sugarcane is sourced responsibly and in line with their procurement goals. We aim to continuously improve sourcing and certification standards as well as production standards.
Further, we look to development banks to be proactive in assessing risks for labor among industries they work with, as well as supporting evidence-based interventions that limit risks associated with CKDu and other negative outcomes.
Funds raised will cover the cost of local Nicaraguan research teams, their equipment, provisions, and training.
ACCESS TO CARE ($15K GOAL)
While we are addressing the root causes of CKDu and the associated occupational risks, we must provide relief for workers who are currently sick and dying. We have a multi-sector partnership that will provide hemodialysis treatment for sugarcane workers in Nicaragua. This project will ensure a greater number of workers with kidney failure receive a higher quality treatment than is currently available.
Funds raised will provide required resources for program oversight by one medical doctor in cooperation with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health.
ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER ($15K)
La Isla Network takes its name from the sugarcane worker community, La Isla, in Nicaragua. Tragically, so many men have died of CKDu that locals call it ‘La Isla de Viudas,’ or The Island of Widows. The community’s water system fell into disrepair last year forcing the local population to use surface water for their household needs, including for drinking. The lack of current access to potable water is placing an already vulnerable population in risk of water-borne diseases. LIN is currently working with community leaders to develop a sustainability plan to ensure resources are available for future repairs and maintenance needs.
Funds raised will cover costs of repairing the community’s water system to 100% capacity. We will also be working with a new generation of exceptional leaders from La Isla who have the university education and administrative ability to ensure a sustainable community initiative to maintain the water system.
Please help these agricultural workers by making a donation and by supporting La Isla's efforts to END CKDu. Your coffee will taste better in the morning.
All photos within courtesy of Ed Kashi and Tom Laffay.
DONATION REWARD LEVELS
$50 - Hat
$100 - Mug
$200 - Mug & Tote Bag (or Hat)
$250 - Hoodie w/ Front Zipper
(We will email you for your size and color preference.)
NOTE: For all reward-based donations, we will send you an email confirming your desire to accept the reward, your mailing address, and other specifics required. Thank you so much for your donation!
A fatal epidemic called chronic kidney disease of undetermined causes (or CKDu) has been killing the world’s most vulnerable workers for decades. Those impacted by CKDu are predominantly agricultural laborers, their families, and the communities they live in. These CKDu-ravaged communities are impoverished and treatment for the disease in most cases is not easily accessible or financially feasible. These laborers work for such industries as sugar, rice, coconut and nuts. They are the workers who harvest the crops that end up as the sugar we put in our coffee and the rice in our cupboards.
These workers are sick, dying and need your help! Support La Isla Network as we improve working conditions associated with CKDu, improve access to care, and support a new generation of leaders in the community where we began our work.
Research suggests that heat stress and dehydration due to excessive workload is cause for repeated kidney injury. It is estimated that CKDu has killed tens of thousands of agricultural workers in Central America and Sri Lanka—as well as countless more in other areas of the world.
The stories of young workers dying of CKDu are far too common. When the working conditions of 'the only job in town' have likely contributed to the death of the older generation(s) of family members, outlook on life is bleak. In some sugarcane communities in Nicaragua, over 40% require treatment for CKDu, but it is out of reach for most.
Our Story
For the last decade, La Isla Network [La Isla Foundation 501(c)(3) ] has been dedicated to ending CKDu among workers and their communities worldwide. As La Isla Network continues to expand its strategic focus globally, we are in need of funding to help generate, support and execute our evidence-driven solutions on a macro level.
La Isla's groundbreaking initiatives include key players within the supply chain. We approach the epidemic of CKDu as a collaborative unit. These initiatives focus on the betterment of individual livelihoods, their families and their communities alike. Below, are La Isla Network's current initiatives for ending the CKDu epidemic.
ADELANTE INITIATIVE ($30K GOAL)
The Adelante Initiative is a platform to evaluate work practices and improve them with the best possible data while utilizing the learnings from La Isla Network's Worker Health and Efficiency Program (WE Program). The WE Program was the first-ever intervention protocol to evaluate ways to reduce the harmful effects of heat stress and CKDu among the sugarcane workforce. The WE Program was led by La Isla Network and research institutions around the world, with consultation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-NIOSH), and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM).
The WE Program provides the foundation for the Adelante Initiative, a multi-sectoral collaboration to improve workplace practices. The program improves working conditions for all types of field workers in sugarcane by providing water, rest, shade, appropriate outerwear, including a hat and breathable shirt, an ergonomic machete, and efficiency training from industry experts. This work is expected to also further illuminate the drivers of CKDu as researchers assess cross-harvest changes in biomarkers for worker health and track employee productivity.
The initiative provides what is essentially a dynamic lab at one of the most logistically competent sugar mills in the Americas, Ingenio San Antonio , located in Nicaragua. The Adelante Initiative’s founding partners are the following: Bonsucro, La Isla Network, Nicaragua Sugar Estates Limited and The Nicaraguan Sugar Producers Association.
We will provide the lessons learned from our efforts in a pre-competitive space to all stakeholders via Bonsucro , an international organization that ensures responsible sugarcane production. Learnings will help inform the Bonsucro certification and be used to inform policy advocacy for worker protections at the state and international level.
Our hope is that we can support, and be supported by all producers along the supply chain looking to ensure their sugarcane is sourced responsibly and in line with their procurement goals. We aim to continuously improve sourcing and certification standards as well as production standards.
Further, we look to development banks to be proactive in assessing risks for labor among industries they work with, as well as supporting evidence-based interventions that limit risks associated with CKDu and other negative outcomes.
Funds raised will cover the cost of local Nicaraguan research teams, their equipment, provisions, and training.
ACCESS TO CARE ($15K GOAL)
While we are addressing the root causes of CKDu and the associated occupational risks, we must provide relief for workers who are currently sick and dying. We have a multi-sector partnership that will provide hemodialysis treatment for sugarcane workers in Nicaragua. This project will ensure a greater number of workers with kidney failure receive a higher quality treatment than is currently available.
Funds raised will provide required resources for program oversight by one medical doctor in cooperation with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health.
ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER ($15K)
La Isla Network takes its name from the sugarcane worker community, La Isla, in Nicaragua. Tragically, so many men have died of CKDu that locals call it ‘La Isla de Viudas,’ or The Island of Widows. The community’s water system fell into disrepair last year forcing the local population to use surface water for their household needs, including for drinking. The lack of current access to potable water is placing an already vulnerable population in risk of water-borne diseases. LIN is currently working with community leaders to develop a sustainability plan to ensure resources are available for future repairs and maintenance needs.
Funds raised will cover costs of repairing the community’s water system to 100% capacity. We will also be working with a new generation of exceptional leaders from La Isla who have the university education and administrative ability to ensure a sustainable community initiative to maintain the water system.
Please help these agricultural workers by making a donation and by supporting La Isla's efforts to END CKDu. Your coffee will taste better in the morning.
All photos within courtesy of Ed Kashi and Tom Laffay.
DONATION REWARD LEVELS
$50 - Hat
$100 - Mug
$200 - Mug & Tote Bag (or Hat)
$250 - Hoodie w/ Front Zipper
(We will email you for your size and color preference.)NOTE: For all reward-based donations, we will send you an email confirming your desire to accept the reward, your mailing address, and other specifics required. Thank you so much for your donation!
Organizer
Mike Endicott
Organizer
Michigan, MI
La Isla Foundation
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
