World Kidney Day is a key moment in the year when the global renal community speaks with one voice. For Diaverum, it represents more than visibility. Helping people understand how kidneys function, how disease develops and how it can be prevented is one of the most powerful ways we can influence long-term health outcomes. Prevention is not separate from care, it is part of it. Investing in awareness and health literacy strengthens communities and supports more sustainable health systems. It is also a powerful way of supporting health education in the local communities we serve - a responsibility Diaverum is proud to embrace as part of our True care culture.
In 2025, the Poland team brought this belief to life, when the Healthy Kidneys Initiative became the first nationwide kidney disease prevention programme dedicated to children in Poland. At the heart of it was Aneta Cekała, Country Nursing Director.
This story began at home.
My daughter asked me what I actually do every day - and why. I realised that explaining chronic kidney disease to a child forces you to strip everything back. What are kidneys? Why do they matter? What happens when they stop working?
That conversation led to a presentation at her school. The children were curious. They asked questions. They wanted to understand. And in that classroom, something became very clear to me: if children are willing to listen, we have a responsibility to speak.
World Kidney Day gives us a global platform each year to raise awareness about kidney health. But I believe our responsibility goes further. If chronic kidney disease is often silent, then education must have a powerful voice. And so, in 2025, with just forty days to launch, I asked my teams the question - why stop at one classroom?
Within days, 30 colleagues from across our 12 clinics stepped forward, committing their time and energy, recognising the importance of prevention and acting without hesitation. There was no additional budget and no external funding. We developed the materials, adapted the presentations and coordinated school visits ourselves, all alongside our everyday clinical responsibilities. The only question asked along the way was “what more can I give?”.
Of course, working with schools comes with responsibilities. There are processes to follow, permissions to secure, schedules to respect, and content that must be appropriate and carefully prepared. This wasn’t something you could improvise. It required coordination and trust, both within our team and with the schools themselves.
Explaining kidney function to children aged five to eleven was no less complex. We had to translate medical concepts into stories and images. We used drawings, comparisons and interactive discussions. We focused on what kidneys do every day for us - filtering, balancing, protecting - and how simple lifestyle habits can protect them in return. Over the course of one intensive week in March, we delivered sessions in 12 cities, reaching more than 1,200 children aged five to eleven.
The response from the children was incredible. They were curious, engaged and full of questions; wanting to know what kidneys look like, what happens when they stop working, and what they could do to keep theirs healthy. It reminded me how powerful it is to reach people early, when learning still feels exciting and natural. My hope is that even a few small pieces of information will stay with them – and one day help them make choices that protect their health.”
“Looking back, it feels almost unbelievable that something of this scale came together so quickly. But once the idea took hold, there was no hesitation. We knew we had to do it.
For me, this is what being a responsible and ethical renal care provider means. Delivering treatment with excellence — and investing in awareness that may prevent disease before it begins.
Because sometimes, the most important care we provide — in disease as well as in health — is the care that lays the foundation for a healthier future.”
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