Our Impact
From 2004 to 2025, APCA has transformed health systems across 35 African countries—integrating palliative care into national policies, training thousands of healthcare workers, and ensuring millions receive compassionate, dignified care.
2024-2025: Year in Review
This reporting period marked APCA's 20th anniversary and the successful convening of the 8th International African Palliative Care Conference in Gaborone, Botswana. Through strategic partnerships and community engagement, we reached vulnerable populations with innovative care models.
1,873
Adult Patients Receiving Care
7,106
Home Visits Conducted
2,076
Girls Reached with HPV Vaccination
2,000+
Children Using APCA C-POS
🎯 Gaborone Declaration 2025
The 5th African Ministers of Health Session culminated in the Gaborone Declaration—a continental commitment to embed palliative care in Universal Health Coverage, establish national budget lines, and ensure access to essential controlled medicines by 2030.
💉 Cervical Cancer Prevention
Piloted integration of HPV vaccination into palliative care services, reaching 2,076 vulnerable girls in rural Uganda. Trained 10 palliative care providers in cancer prevention while screening 414 women for cervical cancer.
📱 Digital Health Innovation
Launched the Mpalliative app enabling patients to self-report symptoms from home. 90% of users found the platform easy to use, strengthening communication with clinicians by 60% and increasing patient confidence by 35%.
💜 Grief & Bereavement Care
Trained 181 community lay grief counsellors using the 9-cell tool co-designed with bereaved caregivers. Results showed reduction in suicidal thoughts from 40.8% to 19.7%, and significant improvements in social support and sleep quality.
System Integration Achievements
National Policy Development
Supported 10 countries to develop standalone national palliative care policies. Convened 5 African Ministers of Health Sessions.
Academic Integration
Successfully integrated palliative care into 31 academic institutions across 6 countries. Supported 87 scholarship recipients.
Essential Medicines Access
Supported 7 countries to establish local oral morphine reconstitution facilities. Trained 550+ legal prescribers.
Research & Evidence Generation
Implemented 45 research projects resulting in 200+ peer-reviewed publications. Launched the APCA Atlas 2025 update.
Service Delivery Expansion
Administered 295 sub-grants across 29 countries. Established community grief and bereavement services.
True Colours Trust Small Grants Impact (2024-2025)
20 Providers
Supported across Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, and Tanzania
137 Children
Receiving specialized paediatric palliative care and psychosocial support
28,392 People
Reached through community sensitization and awareness sessions
343 Health Workers
Trained in palliative care delivery and symptom management
Breakthrough Innovations
APCA Children's Outcome Scale
The first African-developed paediatric palliative care outcome measure, now available in 7 versions and used on over 2,000 children. Features a Decision Support Tool enabling health workers to deliver person-centred care based on children's own reports.
- Strengthened clinician communication by 60%
- Improved symptom assessment and management
- Adapted for use in Europe, Asia and the Middle East
Community Grief Model
Co-designed bereavement intervention using the 9-cell tool addressing what is felt, known, and done. Community lay counsellors with lived experience delivered care to 180 households.
- 40.8% to 19.7% reduction in suicidal thoughts
- Improved affectionate support by 16.1 points
- Enhanced positive social interaction
- Developed guidelines for national integration
Game Changer Initiative
Peer advocacy model for cervical cancer prevention using women with lived experience of screening. Partnered with Rand Corporation, Makerere University, and Uganda Cancer Institute.
- 63.8% of enrolled women verified screened
- Increased early referrals for palliative care
- Challenged stigma that cancer is a death sentence
Centres of Excellence
Launched the APCA Centre of Research and Excellence during the Gaborone Conference, establishing regional hubs for training, research, and clinical care to drive evidence-based policy and practice transformation.
- Implementation science focus
- Early-career researcher mentorship
- African-led research priorities
- Digital health innovation lab
Vision 2030: The Next Chapter
As we implement the final phase of our 2020-2030 Strategic Plan, APCA is scaling the Centre of Excellence, expanding digital health innovations like Mpalliative, and ensuring every African country has integrated palliative care into their national UHC packages. The journey continues until no one faces serious illness without compassionate, dignified care.
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