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On the 14th October, a Charity Opera Concert “Together in Song” to be held in Cadogan Hall in London will benefit people with diabetes in Cambodia.
The star of the night, Australian opera performer baritone Jeffrey Black, has travelled to Cambodia and describes how his visit was an eye opener for him and his 13-year old son, who has diabetes.
The journey from UK to Cambodia literally meets a low, as Jeffrey and his son James find themselves in transit at Bangkok airport with James having low blood glucose levels and his father out of cash to buy him sweets. After a long search, Jeffrey finds a deli that accepts his credit card and James can regain his blood sugar balance with a sandwich and a sweet Frappuccino drink.
The visitors arrive in Phnom Penh and in less than 24 hours after this typical diabetic emergency, meet a teenage Cambodian girl also suffering from diabetes. The contrast between James’ life and hers was harsh, to put it mildly, Jeffrey explains.
How to get by on less than nothing
The 13 year old girl they meet, already suffers from diabetes complications; having lost eyesight in one eye and a deteriorating vision in the other.
Jeffrey and James visit her and her family living on a small rented farm in the outskirts of Phnom Penh. They recently moved there to be closer to diabetes treatment. A fact underlining that access to care is one of the dire problems for people with diabetes in Cambodia.
The stench of pigs, rotten vegetables and defecation in the yard was immense. The girl was tending the pig sty as part of her chores; in return the family gets one hour electricity from the landlord. Without a refrigerator her insulin was instead stored in a clay pot, cooled by an almost melted ice block from the day before.
What at a first glance looked as the chicken hoop, turned out to be the place where the entire family lives. There is no budget for improvement; if crops fail and no fish is caught for dinner, the family is forced to borrow money to cover their needs at a 100% daily interest; a two dollar loan made today is a dept of 4 dollars the day after. That day, the family had an accumulated dept of 200 dollars.
Diabetes care within reach
Jeffrey Black and his son also visited a container clinic established with the help of donations from Novo Nordisk A/S, containers from Maersk Shipping A/S and equipment from other private sponsors.
The clinic has been running since February 2007, and they learned that already 1,500-1,800 people with diabetes regularly visit the clinic.
“Before the clinic was opened, where did they go for treatment?” Jeffrey asks rhetorically, thankful that these people do not need to move away from their homes to be able to receive treatment.
For James, who is used to adjust his insulin dosage whenever his blood glucose levels are irregular, was shocked to learn that the people he met in Cambodia picked up insulin supply for one month at a time. Risking running out of insulin before the month was over; they avoided increasing their dosage even if it was needed.
Life with diabetes put in perspective
Everything about Phnom Penh has been a confronting experience for both Jeffrey and his son, shedding a different light on how they regard diabetes.
James was diagnosed with diabetes three and a half years ago, and James and his family have had to adjust to the new situation, including struggling to accept the disease.
Visiting Cambodia and learning what people with diabetes have to go through to be able to survive has put James’ condition in perspective, says Jeffrey; “He said to me that he will think twice next time he felt like complaining”.
Jeffrey himself has learned that he has taken the system of diabetes control, prevention and follow up that works so well in UK for granted, and it has been a lesson to visit a country where these systems only exist where NGO’s and Foundations like WDF are present.
Fundraising concert will strengthen WDF activities
When Jeffrey Black in the spring of 2007 was invited to give a concert, he insisted on performing to raise funds for people with diabetes, thinking of his own son’s struggle. “The visit to Cambodia galvanized us and made us believe that the funds that will be raised by the concert will be put in good use in Cambodia”.
Presently the World Diabetes Foundation is supporting five projects in Cambodia in collaboration with operating partners including the Word Health Organization, Cambodian Diabetes Association and the Ministry of Health in Cambodia.
In addition, two clinics Battam Bang and Kampong Thom, have been established as part of the fundraising initiatives. Proceeds of the concert will further support WDF activities in Cambodia.
Baritone Jeffrey Black has performed in some of the most prestigious Opera Houses of the world; The Metropolitan - New York, Royal Opera House - Covent Garden, Chicago, San Francisco, Munich, Paris, Salzburg, to name only a few.
Jeffrey, actor Tama Matheson and friends including Julian Gavin, Lisa Gasteen, Iain Burnside and Tahu Matheson perform nonprofit for the good cause.
Cadogan Hall has offered the venue at a discounted price and Novo Nordisk UK is covering the marketing costs.
Read more about the opera concert and how to make a corporate sponsorship donation.
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