What is World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. The theme for World Day 2009 is ‘Discovering your voice’.
World Day is a key opportunity to raise awareness of hospice and palliative care amongst policy makers and engage them with palliative care activities at a local, national and global level. To find out more about World Day visit http://www.worldday.org
What is advocacy?
Advocacy can be defined as “seeking to influence policy makers to design, adopt, implement or change policies and practices.”
Therefore, advocacy is:
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A process which can lead to change through influence
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Is a way of influencing public policy through information and communication
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Can act as a voice for those who do not have a voice
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Is a way of directing decision-makers towards a solution
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Can be used to inform influential groups and raise their awareness of specific issues
What can advocacy achieve?
Advocacy has a vital role to play in demonstrating the effects of policies and ensuring appropriate policies exist to enable good palliative care is available to all who need it.
Therefore, advocacy can achieve:
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Increased resources for hospice and palliative care
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Changes in restrictive policies and practices within countries e.g. for morphine use
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An increase in palliative care organisation’s profile amongst the public, potential funders, and influential groups
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Increased awareness of the reality of the grassroots situation and the specific problems faced by people and communities they serve
What type of projects are eligible?
Grants are for a maximum of 2,000 US dollars. The following are examples of eligible projects. Please note that these are not exclusive.
Creating advocacy engagement and partnership opportunities
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Organise a reception with key policy makers e.g. a reception with Ministry of Health
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Organise a reception with key partners e.g. International Non Government Organisations or people living with specific diseases
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Organise a reception to support advocacy and fundraising initiatives for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
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Organise a reception with deans and educational establishments
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Public awareness raising campaign, march or rally
Advocacy capacity building
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Organising an advocacy training course for hospice and palliative care providers, home based care providers, volunteers and/or community health workers.
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Technical assistance in the development of a hospice and palliative care national or regional advocacy strategy
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Development of an advocacy campaign strategy for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
Creating advocacy materials
- Producing national policy briefs, for example, hospice and palliative care as a human right in your country
- Hospice and palliative care and health strengthening in your country
- How palliative care can reach marginalised populations in your country
- Producing advocacy materials for public awareness raising
- including merchandise
- Petition development and dissemination.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful for the support of the Open Society Institute who have donated the funds for this programmme.
