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Island Hospice UK

Island Hospice and Bereavement Service UK is a registered charity which supports hospice and palliative care services for people living with a life-threatening illness in Africa.

International Partnership

Since 2002, we have worked in partnership with Island Hospice & Healthcare (IHH) in Zimbabwe.

Palliative Care

Through fundraising and outreach, we support hospice and palliative care services for those living with HIV/Aids and other life-threatening conditions.

Care & Support

We endorse IHH’s aim to offer a compassionate bereavement service and to pioneer care and support for young people.

Appeals

There are many ways you can make a difference to families living with a terminal illness - please consider donating to IHBS UK.

What we do

Fundraising

Through direct fundraising and grants, IHBS UK funds essential medical care and support for those who need it. The money we raise supports professional teams specialising in palliative care and advice.

Outreach

Our partners in Zimbabwe follow the principle of ‘Leaving No One Behind’ and their outreach programmes ensure that the local community plays a vital role in the provision of quality care and support services.

Awareness

We aim to make groups in the UK more aware of the work of Island Hospice and Healthcare in Zimbabwe and how we can all support their work.

Working in partnership with Island Hospice Zimbabwe
we focus on the following

Our priorities
  • HIV/Aids and Child Care
  • Community Support
  • Access to Training and Advocacy
  • Influence

As the world around us changes, so has Island Hospice. Initially the Zimbabwe Hospice worked with cancer patients and older people, now its work is primarily around HIV/Aids and children.

A dedicated team of doctors, nurses, specialists, social and health care workers ensure that the care and support needed reaches as far and wide as possible.

Over the years of our partnership, pioneering steps have been taken in health care training, quality life interventions and pain assessment tools so that they can improve health care and support across the region.

Island Hospice and Healthcare provides more
health care than any other hospice in Zimbabwe

People directly supported since 1979
11800
1979 2020
People who will receive palliative health care this month
1300
Patients treated by community outreach team per month
407
HIV/Aids cases ongoing at any one time
1000

Get Involved

Help us care for those who need us

Make a Donation

Latest News, Events & Tweets

IHBS receives UK aid grant to increase inclusive access to Palliative Care

Island Hospice and Bereavement Service UK (IHBS UK) has been awarded a UK aid grant to increase access to palliative care for people living with disabilities in Zimbabwe.

The grant, which comes from the Government’s Small Charities Challenge Fund, will finance a pilot scheme designed to transform the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

For more information

Appeal to Raise Money for Solar Panels

IHBS UK has launched a second Appeal to provide solar power solutions for Island Hospice & Healthcare’s centres across Zimbabwe. The aim of the investment is to provide inexpensive and clean energy, which will in turn free up vital resources.

For more information

Follow us on Twitter

RT @womeninGH: Women health workers need more than 👏. #GenderEqualHCW initiative w/ @gouvernementFR, @WomeninGH, & @WHO advocates for women…

25th February 2021 7:34pm

It is critical that people with #palliative care needs and #disabilities in Zimbabwe can access the care that they… https://t.co/39VKo6FGs9

16th February 2021 3:28pm

We are delighted to be working with our wonderful partner @islandhospicezw to deliver this new project funded by UK… https://t.co/c3owHjCwt7

15th February 2021 4:39pm

Our project on #palliative care and #disabilityinclusion funded by UK aid by the UK government with… https://t.co/C6EdGrfUBC

15th February 2021 3:18pm

About Us

Island Hospice and Bereavement Service UK (IHBS) believes that those facing life-limiting conditions, such as HIV and cancer, should receive the care and support they deserve. By actively supporting hospice care services in Southern Africa, we want to make a difference.

Since 2002, we have worked in partnership with Island Hospice and Healthcare (IHH) in Zimbabwe to provide home-based palliative care and a compassionate bereavement service.

Over the years, with support from us and other partners, we have seen them strengthen their ties with the local community: not only have doctors and nurses been mentored and trained, but numerous support programmes have been set up, championed by a growing network of carers, volunteers, teachers and church & community groups.

In addition to raising vital funds for these initiatives, we support Island Zimbabwe in their campaigns and activities to raise awareness across the globe.

Watch our Video on Island’s Roadside Clinics during the Pandemic

Profile of IHBS UK Board Members

Testimonials

Island Hospice Service resurrected me from death when I was very ill and now I am able to help and refer others who are HIV positive and sick to feel better and improve

– Lovemore Moyo (patient)

Had it not been for Island I would have been dead and buried already.. I would have been history but you keep us alive and going...

– Rural patient

I know what an excellent job you do and I can only imagine the hardship you endure to keep the service running

– Community partner

You are my saviour. You saved me yesterday from my pain, and now today you are here again...

– 90 year old patient with lung cancer

It was very good for me to listen to other peoples’ backgrounds because it’s not only me who lost my parents.

– Children (8-16) attending a grief workshop

The bereavement counselling has been my safe space....I can truly be myself and not have to wear my game face...I eagerly look forward to my appointments

– Widow 40 (wife died in childbirth)

Get Involved

Help us care for those who need us

Make a Donation

Contact us

Island Hospice and Bereavement Service (UK)

Registered Charity number: 1091353 (UK)

To find out more about our work, please contact Alan Brooks on

islandhospiceuk@gmail.com

Island Hospice and Healthcare (Zimbabwe)

6 Natal Road,
Belgravia,
Harare,
Zimbabwe

Tel: +263 4 701676
Email: admin@islandhospice.co.zw

Board Members

Derek Bodell - Chair

Derek qualified as a Social Worker and worked for 10 years in Newcastle upon Tyne before taking a post as Programme Director at the Bedford Stuyvesant Family Centre, Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service (BBCS) in New York in 1986. Whilst there, he became a volunteer with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis running weekly support groups.

He returned to the UK to work on the national AIDS public education campaign at the Health Education Authority. He subsequently worked as Regional HIV/AIDS Programme Manager, South West Thames and South Thames Regional Health Authorities in London before becoming Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust (NAT). At NAT he established the Diana, Princess of Wales lecture on AIDS in memory of NAT’s Patron, which has so far been delivered by Kofi Annan, President Bill Clinton and Elton John.

After leaving NAT he became a freelance consultant on HIV working with UNAIDS, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a range of NGOs and government agencies. More recently he has worked across Europe for the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) supporting their work in gaining support and funding for the development of a preventive tool for women. He was a member of the Department of Health’s Sexual Health Independent Advisory Group and a former Chair of HIV Scotland.

Alan Brooks - Treasurer

Alan was born and brought up in Zimbabwe. He completed his tertiary education in South Africa and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1977. He emigrated to the UK on qualification and after working initially in the accounting profession, he worked for a multinational in the textile industry, followed by employment in trade finance and mining sectors. He has close family that live in Zimbabwe. Now retired, he holds various voluntary positions in sport and recreation and in the charity sector. He joined the Island UK board in 2008, was its Chair for a period and now serves as Treasurer.

Rutendo Gambe - Board Member

Rutendo is a newly qualified doctor currently working in Hull as an Academic Foundation Doctor. Prior to medicine, she pursued research in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, and it was during this time that the necessity of a holistic approach to care for all patients with a life limiting diagnosis became clear. She is interested in palliative medicine from clinical and research perspectives, with a focus on models of palliative care and symptom management.

Anne Lloyd Williams - Board Member

Anne has been involved in international relief and development for most of her career. She spent 18 years with OXFAM working on programme development and oversight of work in various regions of Africa. She also spent a number of years as International Grants Officer for the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. In this capacity she helped initiate and develop the Fund's palliative care grants programme in Africa. She visited a wide range of palliative care programmes in Africa and came to know about and admire the work of Island Hospice in Zimbabwe.

Dermott McDonald - Board Member

Dermott is a Netherlands-based consultant with 20 years’ experience working on institutional, trust and corporate donor funding acquisition and has led institutional funding teams at a range of INGOs, including Mildmay International, VSO and Trocaire.

As a consultant, Dermott has undertaken assignments for INGOs, networks and donors, supporting on funding, strategy and programme development with expertise on HIV, UHC, migrants, key population health access and rights and palliative care. In the Netherlands, Dermott works with Dutch INGOs: AFEW International, Dokters Van De Wereld and War Child Holland supporting participatory learning on grant writing, funding strategy development, Theory of Change and consortia building for INGOs.

Dermott has partnered with the international development palliative care sector over many years, including as a strategic consultant for OSF’s palliative care programming and fund raising and donor engagement support for the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, APCA, KEHPCA, Hospice Ethiopia and Island Hospice.

Claire Morris - Board Member

Claire is the Global Advocacy Director at the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance and has been working in the social sector for over 20 years. She is a committed and passionate advocate for hospice and palliative care globally.

Claire has contributed to a number of publications including the first ever Global Atlas on Palliative Care at the End of Life and HIV care and support: the forgotten pillar. She has also written for a number of journals, including the International Journal of Palliative Nursing and the European Journal of Palliative Care.

Claire has spoken at international conferences, including the Latin American and European Palliative Care conferences and has advocated for palliative care at the UN High Level Meetings on HIV and Non-Communicable Diseases and the World Health Assembly. She sat on the UN Social Protection and Care and Support Working Group for two years representing the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance. She has also organised World Hospice and Palliative Care Day since it began in 2005 with approximately 60-70 countries participating in the events.

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News Stories

IHBS receives UK aid grant to increase inclusive access to Palliative Care in Zimbabwe

Island Hospice and Bereavement Service UK (IHBS UK) has been awarded a UK aid grant to increase access to palliative care for people living with disabilities in Zimbabwe.

The grant, which comes from the Government’s Small Charities Challenge Fund, will finance a pilot scheme designed to transform the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

People living with disabilities are often unable to access the health and care services they need, creating avoidable suffering for them and their families.

Working in partnership with Island Hospice and Healthcare in Zimbabwe, IHBS UK will launch a pilot programme in the city of Mutare that will give people with palliative care needs and disabilities increased access to care.

The pilot will look to achieve a much better understanding of the needs of people with disabilities who would benefit from palliative care, whilst also measuring the programme’s effectiveness in improving their quality of life. Healthcare professionals and caregivers will be given special training, as well as the tools required to help understand people’s needs and improve care. Targeted campaigns will be undertaken to raise awareness of palliative care services and increase understanding of people’s rights to access this care.

The barriers and challenges that people with disabilities and palliative care needs face on a daily basis affect all aspects of their lives. The grant, funded with UK aid from the British people, will address some of those barriers and genuinely make a real difference to their welfare, leading to sustainable, long-term change.

Palliative care is an essential component of Universal Health Coverage, a key target within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This project is contributing to the UK Government’s commitment to achieve those goals.

Derek Bodell, Chair of IHBS UK, said: “In Zimbabwe, everyone with a disability should be able to access the essential health services they need, including palliative care. I’m delighted that the UK Government are funding IHBS UK so that we can give some of the world’s most vulnerable adults and children the opportunity to get palliative care and support at a time in their lives when they often feel forgotten or marginalised.”

For further information or to donate please contact us at islandhospiceuk@gmail.com

Island Hospice & Healthcare’s Rural Roadside Clinic

Notes:

IHBS UK: Island Hospice and Bereavement Service (IHBS) is a UK-based charity that partners with IHBS Zimbabwe. The charity focuses on bereavement and palliative care.

Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF): The SCCF supports small UK charities and not-for-profit organisations doing outstanding development work, by providing grants of up to £50,000 to those with an annual income of £250,000 or less. It was launched in July 2017 as part of UK Aid Direct and was designed to strengthen charities working towards achieving the United Nations Global Goals. SCCF operates a one-stage application process (so it is quicker to apply), a streamlined due diligence and a tailored payment in advance approach to support with cash flow.

Appeal to Raise Money for Solar Panels

Following a successful fund-raising campaign last year to provide solar power for the worst affected centres in Zimbabwe, Island Hospice and Bereavement Service UK (IHBS UK) recently launched a second Appeal to provide solar power solutions for Island Hospice & Healthcare’s other centres across Zimbabwe, as well as its main office in Harare.

The country is currently affected by nationwide power cuts and a chronic shortage of fuel, but an investment in solar panels would provide inexpensive and clean energy, freeing up vital resources.

1 in 60 Zimbabweans need hospice care, yet only a fraction can access it, which leads to unnecessary suffering. The Harare office and the three Island Hospice branches in Mutare, Marondera and Bulawayo look after thousands each year, including those supported during Cyclone Idai which devastated communities in 2019.

Without electricity for computers, telephones, security and internet access, they cannot function effectively.

The nationwide power cuts can last up to 18 hours a day, and the use of generators is expensive and compounded by a chronic shortage of fuel. This, in turn, reduces available funding for medications, home care visits, staff and security.

The installation of solar panels will address this by providing inexpensive and clean energy, powering vital facilities and freeing up resources to provide more desperately needed care for people with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer & HIV.

It’s an investment that will support thousands of people who need hospice care in Zimbabwe, as well as enabling essential activities such as online health care training.

To date, the Appeal has received funds from the Greenhall Foundation which has enabled IHBS UK to provide Solar panels for the Mutare Office and with other donations, solar panels have also been provided for the Marondera centre.

However, further investment is needed, and the Appeal is hoping to raise a further £20,000 to provide solar panels for the two bigger centres in Harare and Bulawayo.

For further information or to donate please contact us at islandhospiceuk@gmail.com

Background Notes: Island Hospice and Bereavement Service (IHBS) is a UK-based charity that partners with IHBS Zimbabwe. The charity focuses on bereavement and palliative care.

Case Study: https://ehospice.com/international_posts/unfinished-business-can-delay-ones-death-zimbabwean-social-worker-helps-dying-man-claim-mislaid-pension/

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