Expanding Our Global Reach

You may be familiar with the history of Global Partners in Care and that much of our work is in collaboration with partners in Africa since that is where we started and built a strong base. As reflected in our name, we are also committed to expanding our reach to other parts of the globe. Our commitment to building a strong, collaborative foundation for partnership means this takes time; a few years ago, we began exploring a collaboration with Hospices of Hope (HoH), an organization committed to increasing access to hospice care in southeast Europe. They work in with partners in Romania, Serbia, Albania and The Republic of Moldova, the poorest country in Europe. Located between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova has seen much political, economic and social instability. The health service is drastically underfunded, and in rural areas, even basic services are few and far between. Palliative care was not a well-known concept until recently and is now only available in a few Moldovan cities.

Hospices of Hope Moldova envisions a world where “…all patients suffering from terminal or life-limiting illness receive specialist hospice care so that they can live and die with dignity and without pain.” Given our shared mission, we are committed to working more closely with HoH Moldova, with the goal of finding them a US partner organization, thus bringing them fully into the GPIC Partnership program.

Earlier this year, we learned how HoH Moldova is working with Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in their country. HoH Moldova has four palliative care teams working throughout the country – two of which are located very near to the Ukrainian border – in Ocnita and Soroca. The teams in these two towns have been receiving refugees for the past few months, offering free medical care and psychological counseling to anyone in need. When they identify someone with palliative care needs, they can guide them to the necessary care in Moldova. In some cases, patients have been transferred to Hospices of Hope partners in Romania for specialized care.

Despite their own funding challenges, HoH Moldova worked with the Ukrainian Embassy to hold a fundraiser to support a children’s hospice in Ukraine. Additionally, the team at HoH Moldova began collecting food packages and supplies for refugees and even volunteering their own time and resources to help refugees find accommodation.

There are many outstanding organizations and individuals doing palliative care work in Ukraine. Our model of partnership, however, gives us a unique opportunity to support people from Ukraine during this very challenging time through our relationship with HoH Moldova. The first $2,500 in donations we receive directed to HoH Moldova will be matched through our Disaster Response Fund.

Amidst this crisis, HoH Moldova is maintaining their current programs which will continue to be crucial in the aftermath of the war. Their four rural teams are each in need of an additional palliative care nurse in order to keep up with the need for services. If you are interested in learning more about the work of HoH Moldova, or possibly engaging more deeply to support their work or partner, please contact us!