Guarantee Security
At La Isla foundation we want to resume our activities to support workers affected by CKDnt and their communities
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Guarantee Security
At La Isla foundation we want to resume our activities to support workers affected by CKDnt and their communities
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
What do we want to achieve?
We want to resume our activities to support workers affected by CKDnt and their communities. Our goal is to focus our efforts on one main project that aims to provide legal advice and financial support to CKDnt affected individuals that do not have access to the Nicaraguan social security system due to not meeting the requirements of the system.
What are we doing?
Access to social security services
In Nicaragua, for one to be able to claim health benefits as a worker, such as being able to receive dialysis as a result of an occupational disease, it is necessary to have access to the social security system, which depends on the number of weeks the worker has registered and paid to the Nicaraguan social security system (INSS). Some of the workers have gotten sick before completing the work time required by INSS to access healthcare coverage through their security system. We aim to use collected funds to find legal support for these workers to aid their process of obtaining access to the social security system.
Project progress
Our team in Nicaragua is already conducting a pilot with 3 subjects affected by CKDnt. To identify these beneficiaries, the team conducted a survey in the affected communities to identify individuals affected by CKDnt that need access to the INSS for healthcare services.
The team conducted a total of 305 surveys in 5 different sectors of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. Three individuals were selected as beneficiaries of the pilot program. In this program we will provide the financial and legal support to guarantee access to the INSS.
Beneficiaries
Nelson José Manzanares
Nelson is a 28-year-old man living in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. Nelson suffers from CKDnt and currently works in a sugar cane plantation manually applying fertilizer to the fields. He works for an independent sugar cane producer also known as a “Colono”. Nelson has been working in the sugarcane fields since he was 14 years old. He used to work as a burned cane cutter. He worked a total of 14 harvests, but the INSS has a record of just 5 payments made by his employer for his INSS right, since he worked for informal contractors during the other 9 harvests. When he was 23 years old, he was diagnosed with CKDnt. Nelson has not been able to access the benefits of the INSS since his employer did not pay for his INSS right for multiple years. Nelson has only 130 registered paid weeks in the INSS records and he does not meet the minimum number of weeks required for coverage.
Joel Antonio Méndez Cruz
Joel is 34 years old and has CKDnt. Joel is currently not working due to some disease complications. He started working in the sugar-cane industry as a burned sugarcane cutter and as a seed cutter when he was 15 years old. In addition to those activities he has also worked sowing and weeding. He worked a total of 7 years in the industry. During these years, his employers, who were informal contractors, only paid for his INSS access during 5 harvests. At the age of 26, Joel was diagnosed with CKDnt. The INSS has only 223 paid weeks accounted in his record; therefore, he cannot access to benefits offered by the INSS.
Nicolás Real Valdivia
Nicolás is a 27-year-old man with CKDnt living in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. He started working at the age of 17 cutting burnt cane, cutting seed, sowing, and weeding in the sugarcane fields. He worked for 8 years in these positions and his employers, informal contractors, just paid during 6 harvests his right to social security benefits to the INSS. At the age of 25 he was diagnosed with CKDnt. The INSS has listed on record 215 weeks of paid contributions to their system. As a result, Nicolas does not have access to the benefits offered by the INSS.
Past work
Some members of the community do not have clarity on the effects that chronic kidney disease creates in their bodies. There is not a deep understanding on the development of the disease, or in the current condition they face. Therefore, our goal is to provide lectures for affected households where they understand the implications of the disease and how-to better care for themselves.
In addition to this types of educational talks, we want to collaborate with local training institutions to enroll some sugar mill ex-workers for training so they do not risk their health further working on the field and they can acquire new skills that bring the possibility of a different income. The same opportunity applies to other members of the household.
In the past La Isla foundation collaborated with a technical school in the area to enroll former mill workers in a technical education program. The program included two classes.
- Motorcycle repair and maintenance course. In this class we enrolled 18 students. That attended classes daily for 8 hours during the week. We provided food and financial aid to participants.
The main idea was to sponsor young people to develop a new technical skill that would allow them to get a different job, so they did not work in the fields anymore.
- Residential Electrician Course. We enrolled 15 students, who attended class for on a daily basis for 8 hours.
Other projects
- Community Library: serving students from Escuela del Guanacastal.
- Art Program: Aimed at students from Escuela del Guanacastal.
- Computer science classes: 40 children from the Guanacastal School and 10 adults from the community were trained.
- Community Garden: 10 children from the Guanacastal community were trained.
- Latrine project: 40 families benefited, with financing from Club Rotari.
- Pulse Bracelets project: we served as intermediaries for the program to be installed in the Guanacastal community, starting with 10 young beneficiaries.
- Sewing project: Directed to 20 widows by the ERCnT.
- Welding training program: aimed at 5 young people, children of CKD sufferers.
- Potable Drinking water project: benefiting 292 families from 5 sectors of Guanacastal with a total of 1,300 inhabitants, with the financing of Solidaridad.
- Community Education.
100 CKDnt patients were assisted. We provided them with lectures about the difference between CKD and CKDnt. Groups of 20 people participated in the lectures with a duration of 5 hours per group. At each meeting, we provided them with transportation, snacks and lunch.