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Palliative care day commemorations speech
Kasirayi Hweta, Director-Loving Hand
November 08, 2006

Our honorable invited guest, Dr. Hwalima, the Masters of Ceremony, representatives of various Non-Governmental Organisations, Government representatives, and everyone here present.

First I want to pass my profound gratitude to all those who have come here to join us as we commemorate the Hospice and Palliative Care Day. I thank those organizations who have worked with us from the time we started making the arrangements to this time when we are all gathered here.

I want to pass my sincere gratitude to The MSF fro helping us with some logistical arrangements. They assisted us with transport to ferry the PA system from Radio Dialogue to the venue.

I also want to thank the Community Working Group on Health, The Bulawayo Health Task force, Thembelihle House, The National AIDS Council, Revival of Hope and the Bulawayo City Council for all helping us in making this day a success.

In shona they say ‘rume rimwe harikombi churu’ meaning that no matter how one can be economically positioned, how one can be strong and efficient, one still needs the assistance of colleagues.

We are humbled that you are all here to commemorate the Hospice and Palliative Care Day.

The theme for this year is ‘access to care for all’ the theme highlights the fact that everyone has the right to quality life.

The theme fits hand in glove to the activities that Loving Hand has engaged in since 1998.

The Loving Hand is a registered non-profit, non-governmental (NGO) and community based organisation formed to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The organisation started its operations in the western suburbs of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Operations spread to the peri-urban centres that included Khami prison complex, Robert Sinyoka, St Peters and some Methodist villages. The escalating number of patients and orphans in need of clinical Home Based Care and nutritional assistance motivated the organisation.

Since 1998, Loving Hand has trained 535 community members and 500 youths in HIV/AIDS prevention and support.

Currently, Loving Hand is assisting 225 Orphans and Vulnerable Children with school fees, uniforms and providing the children with psychosocial support.

Loving Hand is also currently assisting 196 people living with HIV/AIDS. The organisation has structures in nine wards in Bulawayo and has some volunteers taking part in its activities who live in the surrounding peri-urban areas.

Our mission is to be the ‘To be the leading Home Based Care and Orphan Care Service provider in Zimbabwe’ As such it makes us proud to be surrounded by you as we seek to highlight the importance of caring for patients.

Without you there will be no care for those of us who terminally ill.

We hope that from today more and more people will come forward to join caregivers. Gone is the time when it was the duty of women to provide care to terminal patients. Today it is the duty of everyone. We call upon all men here present to join our Home Based Care programmes.  

We also call upon all service providers, the business community and everyone to assist caregivers with enough material resources so that they work is made light. We have witnessed scenes where Caregivers have risked their lives in their line of duty.

I do not want to take much of your time here. I want everyone to have an opportunity to interact with the resource persons from all organizations here so that they get to know more about care.

Thank You

Visit the Loving Hand fact sheet

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