News

Even along the country roads of rural Tanzania, volunteers are busy supporting people who are dying or facing serious illness. Nkoaranga Hospital is over 600 km from the capital city of Dar es Salaam and sits near Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro.

While surrounded by natural beauty, the community is burdened by drought, poverty, and malnutrition. Residents must often endure long journeys over rough and bumpy roads to access healthcare services. Three-quarters of local patients live with HIV/AIDS, and due to enormous stigma, many suffer in isolation without social support.

The Nkoaranga Palliative Care team travels across a 65 km radius to visit people in their homes. The doctor, social worker, palliative care coordinator, chaplain, driver, and 12 trained volunteers do much more than provide home-based palliative care and medicine. They educate patients and caregivers on how to better manage pain and symptoms, and they run monthly support groups for adults and children living with HIV/AIDS. These groups provide food, medication, learning, and social connection, while their Kids Club provides mentorship, meals, medical follow-up, and educational scholarships to over 30 children each month.

Volunteers are heavily involved in supporting patients and families between doctor visits, focusing on meeting their holistic needs. For Jessica, a 25-year-old mother of two recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, this support extended to building a chicken coop and providing hens. Now her family has access to better nourishment and a source of income.

The Nkoaranga Palliative Care team, including their volunteers, is funded by Gilchrist, an American palliative and geriatric care organisation based outside Baltimore. Remarkably, the staff at Gilchrist donate close to 70% of the total funding from their own pockets via salary sacrifice.