Palliative Care for Elderly Nuns in Africa
While visiting Kampala in July 2023, I had a conversation with an African nun, Sr Jane Francis, Regional Provincial of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis, an African order founded by Irish woman Mother Kevin Kearney. Sr Jane Francis is responsible for the well being of the 450 nuns in her community. She described to me in graphic detail the conditions in which nuns in her community were dying – without even having basic pain relief. Her passionate appeal for palliative care for African nuns made a big impression on me.
My grandmother was a doctor and nun in Tanzania. When Sr Jane Francis outlined the lack of access to palliative comfort for the sisters, I felt a visceral response at the injustice of women who had spent their lives caring for others, suffering unnecessarily at the end of their own lives. These women could have been my grandmother’s colleagues – and after a lifetime of service, they deserve better.
With the commitment of key influencers, I believe that we can and will make change.
I am privileged to be part of a new initiative called “A Demonstration Project on Co-designing of a Model to Support the Integration of Palliative Care in the Care of Older, Nuns of Religious Orders.”
Photo: Grace Gelder
Running over two years, this work will test out the validity of a palliative care model for elderly African nuns within their communities. Once we have proven the model, the intended next step will be a conference co-hosted by the African Palliative Care Association and the Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life, championing wider palliative care for elderly religious in Africa.
I am delighted to see this project through with the hard work, collaboration and support of:
- The African Palliative Care Association
- Julie Ling, Technical Officer for Palliative Care at WHO
- Jean Duff, Founding Partner, The Partnership for Faith & Development
- Vatican Pontifical Academy for Life
- The Rome-based International Union of Superiors General
This feels important – it’s just the beginning of an important initiative that is designed to create scalable progress.
Read more about this project here.
Read about this project on American NPR.
Photo: Grace Gelder
How to contribute to this project.
We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to the recent article on the NPR website about the elderly members of the Little Sisters of St Francis in Nkokonjeru, Uganda and the development of a demonstration model of palliative care that will help the elderly Sisters here, and then hopefully be rolled out to improve the end of life care of the estimated 10,000 elderly Sisters in Africa.
We have received so many offers of support for this project. There are two options for making a contribution:
Click here if you would like to contribute to the Palliative Care Project that will help change the life of elderly Sisters across Africa. (The money will go directly to the African Palliative Care Association to fund this project)
Click here if you would like to contribute directly to the welfare of the elderly Little Sisters of St Francis in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. (this funding platform is originally for the education of children in Uganda but for the duration of this campaign it has been agreed with the Superior General of the Little Sisters of St Francis (Mother Rita Christine Nakitende), that any donations received will be used specifically for the care of the elderly Sisters.)
We would love to keep you informed about the progress of the Sisters and this pilot project if you would like to be kept informed, please click here.
Thank you again for your interest in the Little Sisters of St Francis in Uganda and this pilot project to improve end of life care for elderly sisters across Africa.
Best wishes from Ireland and Uganda
