In Celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

Eighty percent of people worldwide suffering from a life-threatening illness do not have access to the dignity of basic medical comfort care and support, reports the World Palliative Care Association (WPCA). World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, celebrated on October 8th , strives to raise awareness of this great need. 

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, in an effort to make a positive difference, announces its recent partnership with “sister” hospice Kawempe Home Care, a community-based organization in Kampala, Uganda that provides comprehensive holistic care to people living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and cancer.

Samaritan volunteer Peggy Morgan, of Marlton, organizes Beads for Education by labeling and bagging them for sale. Each bead is hand-crafted from recycled paper cut in triangular shapes from old calendars, cereal boxes, pamphlets or magazines. These shapes are tightly rolled and glued to form a unique bead shape and color and then coated with a minimum of four coats of quality varnish. The sale of these unique necklaces, bracelets and earrings support educational opportunities and provide a brighter future for children served by Kawempe Home Care in Kampala, Uganda, the “sister” hospice adopted by Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice as part of a partnership through FHSSA (formerly known as the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa).

The Samaritan-Kawempe partnership is part of the FHSSA initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. FHSSA, a not-for-profit formerly known as the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). It was created to mobilize US hospice response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Each year FHSSA and its Program Partners touch the lives of approximately a quarter of a million individuals and families affected by AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.

Samaritan’s decision to become one of FHSSA’s US partners assigned to hospices in 15 Sub-Saharan countries celebrates World Hospice and Palliative Care day and supports Samaritan’s mission and philosophy of care – “to recognize the unity of life and our connectedness with each other, those we care for, our community and our world.”

 “We are all members of a global village. Millions of patients and family caregivers worldwide need palliative care every year,” said Mary Ann Boccolini, Samaritan CEO/President, “yet few actually receive it or have access to it. Being comfortable at the end of life is a human right, yet there are millions of people, especially in poor, under-developed countries who are dying in pain and discomfort.”

Samaritan’s partnership with Kawempe Home Care, says Boccolini, will provide mutually beneficial opportunities for idea-sharing, professional exchanges, technical assistance, educational development, organizational support and the development of a solid relationship between two organizations and their staffs.

Initial projects of the partnership include planning for Samaritan physicians and clinical staff to present educational programs on topics such as palliative care, pain and symptom management and grief support for Kawempe’s patients, families, staff and volunteers.

Samaritan’s staff and volunteers have also undertaken a fundraising initiative through the sale of Beads for Education – colorful jewelry created from recycled paper by Ugandans served by Kawempe Home Care. The proceeds from the beads, 100 percent of which will be sent to Kawempe, helps provide an income for Ugandan families to send their children to school despite the hardships caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

For more information on becoming involved in Samaritan’s partnership project activities or on purchasing Beads for Education, please email beads@SamaritanHealthcareNJ.org.

About Kawempe Home Care:
Kawempe Home Care is located in the Kampala District and Nangabo Sub-County in Wakiso District of Uganda including 4 large, urban slums of about 350,000 people and a poor rural community of approximately 150,000 people. See www.kawempehomecare.org

About World Hospice and Palliative Care Day:
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a day to share the vision to increase the availability of hospice and palliative care throughout the world, to raise awareness and understanding of the needs – medical, social, practical, spiritual – of people living with a life limiting illness, and to raise funds to support and develop hospice and palliative care services around the world.  See http://www.worldday.org/