Millions of people in Africa suffer in pain from terminal illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer with too few medical workers trained in palliative care and pain management to care for them. FHSSA has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for up to five African nurses to receive post-graduate training in palliative care.
The “Make an Impact” campaign, which launched March 14th, seeks to raise $10,000 within the 60-day campaign period. By using a crowdfunding platform, FHSSA collects donations of all sizes to reach the goal. The money will be used to provide nursing scholarships for programs including: Bachelor of Science in Palliative Care; Distance Learning Diploma in Palliative Care, Palliative Care Initiators Courses, and Nurse Prescribers’ Training.
In Africa, nurses provide the majority of health care and are also a primary source for medical education and mentorship for students, patients, families and community health workers. By funding palliative care education, donors will truly ‘make an impact’ on addressing pain management in Africa.
“The beauty of funding programs such as the Palliative Care Nursing Scholarship is that after completing their coursework, these nurses will return to their communities where their new knowledge and skills will not only help ease the pain of their own patients, but will allow them to mentor and educate others, creating a larger network of care provision,” said John Mastrojohn, executive director of FHSSA.
Founded in 1999, FHSSA links U.S. hospice and palliative care organizations with African partners in need of support. Currently there are nearly 90 partnerships in 14 African countries. In addition to its partnership program, FHSSA has implemented numerous grants and projects to promote compassionate care across the continent.
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