In Sierra Leone, diabetes is both life-threatening and often undiagnosed. For 15-year-old diabetic Hawa and her family, finding life-saving insulin and doctors who know how to treat the disease has been a huge challenge.

Fifteen-year-old Hawa is severely ill with diabetes. She also lives in Sierra Leone, where there are just a handful of doctors for every 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. Clinics offering treatment to diabetics are especially rare in the West-African country, as is the life-saving drug insulin. Some of the medicine arrives in the country in suitcases, as private donations from wealthy countries. Another problem in Sierra Leone is a lack of information about the important of diet to those suffering from diabetes. Hawa fears being a burden to her family, but help is at hand.