A day at the hospice

Saint John Paul II Center for Palliative Care is the first – and, so far, the only – hospice in Rwanda. It is home for people from all around the country, not only terminally ill, but also those for whom there has been no effective treatment in hospitals. The sisters do what they can to take care of as many patients as possible. The center has 20 beds. The hospice makes no money, but it must cover the costs of salaries (of nurses and the doctor), pay for electricity and water, food for the patients, cosmetic products and medications. We wish we could tell everyone who needs help: “You don’t have to worry about anything, someone from the Good Factory has paid for your stay”. When you look closer at our patients, you can really get the impression we are buying them time. Every day spent here, every day won from death is a real chance for them to regain their dignity, to experience love, to make up with their families and say goodbye to this world in a dignified manner. And every human being is worth that.

You pay for one day of patient care at the hospice: a stay in a two-bed room, three meals, everyday care, basic treatment (for instance, pain killers), doctor and nurse care.