Strengthening the voice of palliative care direct stakeholders

This project aims to strengthen the voice of direct palliative care stakeholders and increase their impact as advocates to improve access to quality palliative care worldwide.

We have announced the recipients of our grants round aimed at strengthening the voice of direct stakeholders in palliative care communications and advocacy. The successful projects are:

• Pallium India – Empowerment of direct palliative care beneficiaries to self-advocates
• Hospaz – Strengthening the voice of palliative care to direct stakeholders and empowering them to speak for themselves in Chitungwiza
• Casa Sperantei – Awareness campaign with national impact about the benefits of early palliative care at the diagnosis phase
• Rwanda Palliative Care Hospice Organization – Ubuntu Palliative Care: Equitably raising the "Voice" of palliative care patients in the context of global health care delivery.

We believe that the voice of direct stakeholders is critical to increasing the impact of palliative care advocacy so better care is available to more people who need it. At the same time, in many settings direct stakeholders have not being given the opportunities to speak out and participate in all stages of palliative care advocacy activities. We are trying to find some new ways to address this.

Who are palliative care direct stakeholders?
People who are currently living with conditions that require palliative care now or may require it in the future and those who are in older age and approaching the end of the life cycle.

What do we aim to achieve with this project? 

To strengthen the voice of direct stakeholders and increase their impact as advocates to improve access to quality palliative care worldwide.

Our aim is to improve the power balance and dynamics and look at who is speaking on behalf of whom to develop a more impactful social justice movement on palliative care in Low and Middle Income Countries and worldwide.

We also aim to share our learning widely with direct and indirect stakeholders and the wider community including palliative care practitioners, healthcare workers, policymakers and people working with or interested in health and social justice.

What are our key activities? 

We are doing this by delivering a grants process which will put resources into the hands of direct stakeholders to develop and deliver their own solutions to raising their voices for increased access to palliative care in LMICs.

We are developing and implementing an output-oriented communications plan to maximize the reach of these stakeholders' voices, and to facilitate their contribution to global advocacy.

We have established a committee of people drawn from existing organisations led by direct stakeholders to develop and deliver the grants programme in collaboration with WHPCA staff.

In addition, we will work with direct stakeholders to review the engagement of direct and indirect stakeholders in all WHPCA governance and activities and implement recommendations.

We are conducting a review of WHPCA governance and communication structures, led by a direct stakeholder consultant.

How can you get involved?

• Join the Palliative Care Voices Facebook group
• Apply for future trustee or consultant positions at The WHPCA – Keep an eye on our website and social media for opportunities
• Raise your voice for palliative care on global health and palliative care related days by providing a quote to share by WHPCA on social media or by leading your own social media work – Contact kfrancklin@thewhpca.org
• Take part in the Anglophone African direct stakeholders project if you are based in Africa – Contact kfrancklin@thewhpca.org
• Share your story and your experiences and contact us about how we can help get your voice heard more widely – Contact kfrancklin@thewhpca.org

To find out more or to get involved, please email Claire Morris, WHPCA Global Advocacy Director on cmorris@thewhpca.org