Amazing LDI family

One of the greatest privileges of my life is to be a mentor; to see and support others to explore themselves and to develop and grow. I meet and work alongside inspiring and committed people who are open to learn, eager to develop new skills, thirsty for knowledge and willing to share something of their life's journey with me. To see a young and perhaps faltering student manage to develop clinical judgement; to watch a young physician in training realise the impact of holistic care; to help colleagues do their first research project; to see clinical skills honed; to facilitate the journeys of self awareness and self acceptance; to support national leaders take up their roles with confidence and to listen as colleagues struggle to balance the commitments and dedication to palliative care with family and personal needs and demands is demanding yet such a blessing.

Anjum and Dinesh with their sleepy mentor

I have just returned from the Leadership Development Initiative course now hosted by Ohio Health. 21 leaders along with the innovative and hard working faculty, the visionary funders and gifted mentors spent an amazing week together sharing their stories, learning how to communicate our messages and encouraging one another in our journeys internal and external to be leaders in palliative care.https://www.ipcrc.net/news/category/international-leaders/ This initiative seeks to grow leaders in order to advance palliative care and to make a difference for the many many people who are in need across our globe. It was incredible to hear tales from 5 continents and to listen to how often it is a personal tragedy or experience of loss or pain that acts as the spur to be involved with this demanding yet rewarding path that so deeply connects with the pain in our world yet also brings hope and joy to the places of despair and sadness.  We also heard of incredible achievements; Nepal now has access to affordable oral morphine
thanks to the work of Dr Bishnu. Dr Eva wrote the first ever morphine prescription in Guatemala. Dr Chitra is pioneering the need for holistic care within chronic mental health. Dr Odontaya is now a TV celebrity in

Team building last course

Mongolia integrating palliative care in that resource limited situation. Dr Israel is preparing to start the first postgraduate training for palliative care in Nigeria. Dr Dinesh plans to have a message that 'pain can be helped by choosing palliative care' screened in the cinemas of Assam and even available as a ring tone. Dr's Snezana (Serbia) and Dilsen (Turkey) are making their vision for integrating palliative care in oncology centres a reality.

Dr and Mrs Israel Kolawole

Dr's Shoba and Anjum are establishing their hospital as centres of excellence for training in Jaipur and Bangalore. Dr Nicholas, Marta and Leonardo are changing the face of palliative care in Latin America. Dr's Ali, Narine and Silviu face huge challenges in Albania, Armenia and Romania and can feel overwhelmed yet are helping build their societies and make a significant difference. Dr Rumana is one of very few palliative care clinicians working in her nation of Bangladesh. Dr's Sam and Charmaine, you are reaching out to some of the most vulnerable in Uganda and South Africa and Dr Esther is working in our sister hospital in Kenya and now has a mandate to represent the needs to her Ministry of Health. To all of you and to the amazing faculty and fellow mentors; thank you for the sacrifices and commitment; thank you
for sharing your journey with me and each other, thank you for blessing my heart and for being a blessing to so many.

These next few weeks I will have the opportunity to share more of the work of Cairdeas and our partners at meetings and conferences in the UK. Please come and join if you can.  https://www.facebook.com/events/687542981262603/. There will also be a UK based conference to look in more depth at mentoring and sharing with colleagues involved in the THET palliative care project as well as Palliative Care Works and an opportunity to share at the Scottish CMF conference. I'm looking forward to meeting many folk after a long gap and sharing some of the blessings I receive as a world citizen and representative for Cairdeas and reflecting the Gaelic meaning; friendship and fellowship. I quoted from Tennyson's famous poem Ulysses when he says 'I am a part of all that I have met'. In this global age we are still brothers and sisters; sharing in the joys and the pains. The boundaries of nation, faith and ethnicity serve to enrich but should not divide. Each meeting, each experience, each challenge serves to enrich our lives and help us grow in love and service. As the man of wisdom says in the book of Ecclesiastes; 'there is a time for everything under the sun; a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance'
Let me finish this post with a quote from one of my colleagues and former students who summarised the role of a mentor in a way that humbles and inspires me. A mentor is 'the one created by God to wear another's shoes'.

and  ably demonstrated the leadership and commitment needed to make their palliative care programme into one of the centres of excellence in Nigeria. Nigeria has had steady but slow development of palliative care and scarce availability of essential medications and trained staff. This is now changing and with the leadership from the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Nigeria and the help of partners such as Hospice Africa Uganda and Treat the Pain significant progress is being made.
colleagues. Dr Israel had developed and submitted and innovative curriculum for Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine at the University of Ilorin and I was delighted to be hosted by the Vice Chancellor and Dean who not only made a public commitment to ensuring this programme becomes a reality but also that palliative care is integrated into the undergraduate medical curriculum. This will be the first postgraduate training available in West Africa and establishes Ilorin as a key centre for Nigeria and the region. Congratulation for this breakthrough although I realise much work lies ahead! Check out the link to the article on the University website.
a public commitment to moving PC forward. There is already a new Hospice building on the hospital site which Israel hopes to be the focus of a day care and community outreach programme. Topping off my visit was a meeting with the Ministry of Health district office who committed to PC in all hospitals in the region and the charity arm of the presidents wife in Kwara state who were asked to support women and children's needs. All in 5 days!

One of the fascinating aspects of travel is being able to experience local traditions and cultures. It is humbling to be welcomed into villages and homes and to share our basic humanity as well as all the quirks and nuances that make each one of us unique. I have been introduced by a friend and colleague in India as a 'chameleon' which  think as meant to be compliment to my ability to blend in rather than a comment about wrinkles. I was talking with one of my Ugandan friends, Florence, and we spoke of the amazing differences and cultures and how this can create challenges as well as joys and her reply was 'we had better get used to it as it is a taste of heaven'. Let me share some places and people that have given me a 'taste of heaven'  these past few weeks and months.

Mhoira and Julia

Celebration with Mwazi

Early January saw the culmination of many many years of hard work for faculty and students with the first graduates from the BSc programme in Makerere University and run by Hospice Africa Uganda. Some



unfortunately could not afford the travel but we gathered from Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Malawi and Kenya. MPCU (Makerere Palliative Care Unit) had 3 graduates; Mwazi Batuli, Liz Nabirye and Frida Kolya so extra special celebrations. There was also a Ian Jack Memorial special award to the student who had achieved this despite many personal challenges and this was given to our inspirational friend from Zimbabwe Franciscah Tsikai. This award was given by Prof Barbara Jack in memory of her father. Francis  I still remember your first year when you stood with me in church and wept tears as you gave thanks that God had blessed you with the fees for one year and for all his goodness.

Proud graduates and faculty

Franciscah with her award in Zimbabwe

Participants Lucknow leadership course

4 weeks in India allowed me to sample 4 climates from the foggy mornings and chilly days in Lucknow to the balmy warmth and crazy traffic of Bangalore and the cool of Guwahati. In SGPGI Lucknow we were running workshops in leadership, management, teaching, self awareness and symptom control; Cairdeas was working with Pallium India, Emmanuel Hospitals Association and SGPGI. We had an amazing time with great faculty ( thanks Chitra, Sanjay, Anne, Charu, Angela and Carl) and enthusiastic participation (spot the innovative giraffe) from colleagues across UP state but also including Assam, Mahrashtra, Bihar, Gujarat and Kerala. In all EHA sent participants from 7 hospitals (Prem Sewa in Uttarala, HBM in Lalitpur, Duncan in Raxaul, BCH in Fatehpur, GM Priya in Dapegaon and Baptist CH in Tejpur) and have already started 3 palliative care programmes with one more to follow very soon. meanwhile SGPGI is developing as a centre for palliative care excellence and we were able to work with them to plan ahead. In Bangalore we

Angela 'at home'

Chitra helping Carl and Angela to shop

Charu, Angela and I travel in style

MPCU winning poster

took part in the Indian Association for Palliative Care 20th conference and joined the celebrations of 25 years of palliative care at Kidwai Cancer Institute. MPCU had 5 presentations and sessions and managed to be awarded one of the first prizes for the posters and the oral presentations  Angela Kaiza from Tanzania joined us for the whole trip as part of our collaboration with PCPi (Palliative Care Partnership initiative and Tanga region and was able to lessons from her setting. She took to India like a duck to water - though was very happy to taste an authentic Lucknowi biriyani with plenty meat! Dr Jo Dunn was also able to join us from London and helped deliver an excellent ethics symposium.  Lastly on my tour was the city of Guwahati set on the banks of the Brahmaputra river and capital of the state of Assam. Dr Dinesh Goswami is one of the leaders being supported by the Leadership Development Initiative and it is my privilege to offer mentorship. He organised

Lakshmi puja, Guwahati

only the 2nd (last one 10 years ago) state wide meeting to discuss integration for palliative care and opioid availability as well as a workshop at the local medical college.Anyone who knows Dinesh can vouch for his gracious and dedicated spirit and he amazing work he has done.
Home via the snows of bonnie Scotland but I am realising there are too many 'tastes of heaven' for one blog post. So I will keep the tales of Scotland, Cairdeas developments and recent events in Uganda for a post next month.
Let me finish with a quote from some of our students that encouraged us and encourages all who teach;   'Thank you so much for the support you accorded me throughout the course. It was strengthening at my point of weakness and source of support when I needed it most. Your contribution was so great and words cannot explain it fully. You were great and thank you so much for that!.
This is Holy Week in the Christian calender and a time to remember the incredible hope we have in God. I pray this Easter time you find that sense of hope and meaning and spend time with people and in places to gladden the heart and encourage the soul.