This year’s APCA and the True Colours Trust photo competition drew 61 entries from across the continent—images of quiet care, hard-won comfort, and the everyday moments that make palliative care human. Thank you to everyone who submitted.
Top entries (Link to the gallery)
1) Hope Tayebwa & Brian Amanya — Kawempe Home Care, Uganda (First Place)
A father and his son, Shafic, sharing a smile at New Hope Children’s Hostel. A simple family moment that says everything about love and support during treatment.
2) Jorge Carlos — Comboni College of Science & Technology, Sudan (Second Place)
Volunteers Garang and Nabil give 75-year-old Ibrahim a shave and tidy up—small acts that restore dignity for a man living with hemiplegia.
3) Patience Kukundakwe — Mildmay Uganda (Third Place)
A home-based HIV care visit brings clinicians and family together around an older woman, showing care that is respectful, practical, and close to home.
4) Dara Vanden Bosch — Mvura Ya Upenhu Cuidados Paliativos, Mozambique (Fourth Place)
A first try at painting becomes therapy—creative expression when mobility is limited.
5) Esther Dina Bell — Volunteers for Palliative Care (VOPACA), Cameroon (Fifth Place)
A volunteer gently ties an elderly patient’s headscarf—care for body, spirit, and identity in one gesture.
Also featured
A number of other photographs stood out for their storytelling and craft, including work from Karen Gshwend (Knysna Sedgefield Hospice, South Africa), Lule John (Kitovu Mobile, Uganda), Matilda Kahunde (Hospice Africa Uganda), Oasis of Hope CBO (Kericho, Kenya), Sulekha Edaan (KEHPCA, Kenya), and Tony Mwabury (Najojo Better Living Mission Association, Lesotho).
Explore the photos
- Winners’ gallery with captions: Open Winner’s album
- See every submission: Open the full album
Use & credit
You’re welcome to use these images for advocacy, education, awareness, or fundraising. Please include the photographer and organisation in the caption and note: “Accessed through the APCA Photo Galleries.” Consent was obtained from people pictured.
Example caption:
Photo: Hope Tayebwa & Brian Amanya, Kawempe Home Care (Uganda). Accessed through the APCA Photo Galleries.
Thanks to the photographers, patients, families, volunteers, and care teams who let us into their worlds.
