NHPCO Affiliate, FHSSA, Receives $1/2 Million Grant to Build Capacity in Palliative Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

Efforts to improve the quality and availability of palliative care services in Africa received a major funding boost this week. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund announced today that it has approved a grant in the amount of $499,861 for FHSSA (originally known as the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa) to further its work in improving palliative care in Africa.

The grant will allow FHSSA to make significant advancements in palliative care education and training in Africa. The focus of the funding will be to: establish a network of mentors, develop centers of excellence for clinical placement, finalize standard clinical guidelines, establish sound training practices and a network of trainers for palliative care.

The countries of focus for the grant are Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. FHSSA will work in close collaboration with the African Palliative Care Association (APCA), and other programs contributing to palliative care in Africa to meet the goals of the grant.

“This grant will make a significant difference in our ability to strengthen the knowledge base of palliative care in Africa,” said John Mastrojohn III, executive director of FHSSA. “The effects of a sound mentoring and training program will improve end of life care in these countries for decades to come.”

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund has been a leading donor and advocate for palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa since 2001,committing more than £13 million towards integrating palliative care into national health systems and ensuring it is available to all those with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-limiting illnesses who need it. It selected FHSSA to further its mission because of the FHSSA’s experience and success in improving the quality and access to palliative care services in the region and for its network of partners across the continent.

“Education and training is vital to the development and sustainability of palliative care and has been central to our work’, says Olivia Dix, Head of the Fund’s Palliative Care Initiative.“In the Fund’s final year of operation, I am delighted that we are supporting an organization with FHSSA’s skills, commitment and networks to develop the education programme further.”

FHSSA will begin work on the grant immediately.