The Waterloo Coalition: a collaboration to dramatically improve access to palliative care in Kenya and Malawi

The Palliative Care Initiative of The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the True Colours Trust, together with four international palliative care organisations, have formed a time-limited coalition  to  dramatically improve access to palliative care and pain relief in Kenya and Malawi.

In addition to the two donors, the Waterloo Coalition includes the African Palliative Care Association (APCA), the Global Access to Pain Relief Initiative (GAPRI), the International Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance (WPCA). The Open Society Institute's International Palliative Care Initiative, the Foundation for Hospices in sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA) and EMMS International have observer status.

Working to a tight time-scale − April 2011 to December 2012 − the Coalition will identify and support in-country partners who can work alongside government providers to increase the number of patients accessing palliative care. This will be done by replicating successful projects, training staff and ensuring access to essential drugs.

The Coalition's first three grants have now been awarded to:

• The Palliative Care Support Trust in Malawi towards a 17-month project to establish palliative care services in six district hospitals and communities in Malawi's southern region.
• The Kenya Hospice and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) towards a 12-month project to establish palliative care services in 11 provincial and level 5 (referral) hospitals.
• The International Children's Palliative Care Network towards two supervision visits to to support the roll-out of children's palliative care to three regional hospitals in Malawi.

'The Fund is delighted to be part of this Coalition,' says Olivia Dix, Head of the Fund's Palliative Care Initiative. 'We believe that by pooling our resources for a time-limited period with a clear outcome-focussed approach, we can make considerable progress in improving access to palliative care in Kenya and Malawi over the next 18 months.'

'True Colours is passionate about improving access to pain relief and palliative care in Africa,' says Lucy Sainsbury, Chair of the True Colours Trust, 'one of the most effective ways for us to make advances in this essential area is by working collaboratively with others to co-ordinate our programmes and share our resources to maximise support for local organisations.'

Further information

• Please note that the Waterloo Coalition is proactive and does not accept unsolicited applications for funding.
• Click here to find out more about the work of the Fund's Palliative Care Initiative.
• Click here for more information about the work of the True Colours Trust.