Photo by edkashi Earlier this year, pre-pandemic, I returned to Nicaragua with the Adelante Initiative, which is working toward solutions to #CKDnt (chronic kidney disease of nontraditional cause), an epidemic that has killed or sickened tens of thousands of people in Nicaragua and all over the world. These sugarcane cutters head into the fields at the Ingenio (sugar mill) San Antonio, in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua where they are working with partners to ensure safe and just working conditions. The disease can strike when high temperatures and a heavy workload cause core body temperature to rise and the body cannot cool itself if the conditions are too warm and humid. This can lead to an outright exertional heat stroke, which has long been known to lead to chronic kidney disease. In too much of the world, workers face 7-day work weeks, 12 hour days, and no access to water, rest, or shade, often as children. This initiative in Nicaragua is the leading effort to improve the workday and wor...