Masanga Center Foundation

A Mother's Fight Against Sickle Cell Disease
A World Crisis

It is estimated more than 300,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease worldwide each year. About 50,000 of these newborn babies are born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite being the most prevalent genetic disease in the world, sickle cell is still the most ignored diseases in the world. We at the Masanga Center would like to change this.
The only potential cure for sickle cell disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplant which is expensive, very risky, and has serious side effects, including death. The bone marrow donor must be a close-match to the recipient. Even siblings without the sickle cell trait are not guaranteed to match.
As a result, treatment for sickle cell anemia is usually focused on avoiding crises, relieving symptoms, and preventing complications.