On Friday, October 9th the team at Global Partners in Care (GPIC) donned hats and masks to support the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) event #HatsOn4CPC – Hats (and Masks) on for Children’s Palliative Care. Every year, on the second Friday in October, ICPCN holds a virtual awareness event highlighting the global need of palliative care for children. This year, masks were added to the fun in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the ICPCN website, there are over “21 million children in the world who live with a life-limiting illness or condition that will or could drastically shorten their lives.” The lack of adequate palliative care around the globe causes these children to have a poor quality-of-life and suffer from symptoms and pain that could be controlled and significantly improvedwith the introduction of palliative care into their treatment.
Global Partners in Care took this opportunity to highlight each of their four pediatric palliative care partners and the amazing work they do to give children the best quality-of-life:
Umodzi Palliative Care/Palliative Care Support Trust (Malawi)
Although it’s part of a large government teaching hospital, pediatric patients and their families find a home away from home at Umodzi Palliative Care. Staff from the unit also provide home care for patients living in the hospital’s catchment area.
Sunflower Children’s Hospice (South Africa)
Sunflower Children’s Hospice has provided pediatric palliative care to children in the greater Mangaung area of South Africa for 22 years. One of its innovative programs is a project that links the children to inmates of a local prison as well as one in Ohio.
The Rocking Horse Project (Eswantini)
For seven years the Rocking Horse Project has provided essential palliative care services to children in Eswantini (formerly Swaziland), in partnership with the Ministry of Health and medical professionals throughout the country.
Kawempe Home Care (Uganda)
From their children’s day care program to the New Hope Children’s Hostel for children receiving treatment at the Uganda Cancer Institute, Kawempe Home Care has created a number of ways to care for children facing life-limiting conditions.