Little did we know when the partnership between Center for Hospice Care and the Palliative Care Association of Uganda began in 2008 how great an impact our work would have. In the almost 13 years since we became partners under Global Partners in Care (then called FHSSA – Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa) our partnership has helped make palliative care available in 107 districts in Uganda. Thanks to those who have supported our partnership with their time, talents and treasure, thousands of people in need of palliative care in Uganda now have access to skilled compassionate care.

This has been accomplished by work on many fronts, with many collaborators. The Road to Hope program is one of the highlights of our partnership, but there are many other accomplishments to celebrate! For example, the number of nurses and clinical officers in rural districts who are now able to prescribe morphine has increased because of the partnership’s support of training programs like the diploma in clinical palliative care program at Hospice Africa Uganda and the advance diploma in palliative care in nursing at Mulago Hospital. Many collaborators, including the University of Notre Dame and the Uganda Ministry of Health have assisted in the mHealth program, which strengthens palliative care surveillance – including monitoring morphine supplies – throughout the country. We have also produced two documentaries, Okuyamba and Road to Hope, that raise awareness about the need for palliative care in low-resource settings and the plight of orphaned child caregivers.

While there is still much needed to bring palliative care to a country with a population of 44 million people and a stretched health care infrastructure, much as been accomplished.