The HospiceCare Inc. & Meru Hospice Partnership

HospiceCare Inc., located in Madison and Janesville, Wisconsin, and the Meru Hospice in Meru, Kenya, have created a unique and important alliance. By sharing knowledge and resources, the two organizations work together to alleviate suffering of those with AIDS and other terminal illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa.

Both are dedicated to enhancing their awareness and understanding about caring for dying patients and their families. HospiceCare staff, volunteers and community members are committed to raising dollars to help pay for Meru Hospice staff salaries, medical supplies, equipment, and a vehicle to reach patients in outlying areas.

The need is great:

• Many Kenyans with terminal illness die alone, in pain, and in the poorest of living conditions due to the severe lack of medical and social resources.
• 700 AIDS patients die in Kenya every day.
• 40% of the population in Meru is infected with HIV/AIDS—the highest in the country.
• 70% of the bed occupants in Kenya’s public hospitals are AIDS patients.
• There are 12.3 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa because of AIDS; 10% of Kenyan children are orphaned.

To learn more about the Meru Hospice and how their staff are making a difference in Kenya, visit their website at www.meruhospice.or.ke.

How to contribute to the project
If you would like to make a donation toward the project, checks should be made payable to HospiceCare Inc./Meru Hospice Partnership and send to HospiceCare Inc., 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI  53711.

You may also download the  Adopt a Patient brochure .

For more information or to donate your time for fund-raising events, community presentations, or to help distribute information, call Barbara Graham at HospiceCare, (608) 276-4660.