News

Dear friends!

I want to once again tell you how much we appreciate your help and invite you to join us in our medical project in Kherson and the region.

Our city and our region are among the poorest in Ukraine (there are 25 regions in Ukraine - similar to states in the USA) and thus the medical eqiupment is very old and in many cases cannot detect many
diseases, especially in the poorer patients (who cannot afford doublechecking the results with another clinic) - and these are precisely the people that we are working with and who we help. There are three most frequent and most serious problems: tuberculosis, cancer, and diabetes. We have held some projects to help the patients ith tuberculosis and cancer, and have made certain progress, especially in efforts to control tuberculosis. Now it is the time to help diabetes patients.

The major problem is that there is no medical insurance system in Ukraine as such and the people have not developed a habit of visiting hospitals to make tests and examinations. One of the reasons for this
would be poverty. Thus generally the people learn about the diseases they have only when those are in an incurable state and nothing can be done to help.

There are many people in our city and in the region who suffer from diabetes. These are the children and poor people who are not able to have examinations regularly. It is heartbreaking to see reports of
severaldeaths of children and adults, who died because they did not know they had diabetes. There was a case when a group of young guys and girls went camping into the mountains in the Crimea and died
there, as they never knew they had diabetes and that the food they cooked and took in extreme conditions was dangerous for them.

That is why in November our Fund has decided to hold a month-long project to help control diabetes. We will publish many leaflets and booklets, visit all schools in the city, have information meetings
with the children and their parents and rpovide information to the people. We can do it.However our dream is also to give glucose tests to as many people as possible. The problem is that the test strips and
the glucose meters (glucometers) are inaffordably expensivein Ukraine and we simply have no money to purchase them. And we ask your help!

It can be that some of you work at hospitals, or can buy some test strips and glucometers, or can take this request to the hospitals that would be willing to help. I believe there cannot be excess of test strips and glucometers as we want to reach hundreds of thousands of people with this project. However the span will depend upon the number of glucometers and test strips we will have. If you are a doctor and willing to come and take part in the project (in November) we will be glad to have you join us. Even if you are not a doctor you can suggest this trip to your friends or come yourself. It is not a difficult job - practically anybody (with a doctor's supervision) can take these tests.

We want to open several places in Kherson where tests would be made, where doctors would be and booklets and leaflets would be given away. The doctors will be providing free consultation and examination, and volunteers will be taking tests and helping doctors in all possible ways.

We ask for your help! When purchasing test stips please remember to buy a glucometer for them as each device and strips have their own type and compatibility. Feel free to ask any questions - it will be our joy to answer.

You can mail test strips and glucometers at the following address: houseofhope@mail.ru