Photo Credit: Alexandre Bonneau-Afroto/ALIMA
Global Advocacy for Children’s Palliative Care Access
Country: Global
Amount: $358,689
Duration: 2 years
Problem
Around 21 million children worldwide live with life-limiting illnesses and could benefit from palliative care (specialized care to relieve suffering), yet 98% of these children are in low- and middle-income countries where such care is extremely scarce. The result is immense, avoidable suffering – children in severe pain or distress (for example, from advanced cancer or HIV) often have no access to pain relief, counseling, or hospice support. Families are left to cope alone, and children endure unnecessary agony.
Despite its proven benefits – including better quality of life and even cost savings by avoiding futile hospitalizations – children’s palliative care remains underdeveloped and underfunded in most countries. It’s rarely integrated into national health systems, and few health workers are trained in it. One barrier is policy: many governments and international health agencies have not prioritized pediatric palliative care, focusing instead on curative services. There is a lack of awareness and advocacy at the global policy level to push for including palliative care for children in health agendas, securing funding, and training healthcare providers. Essentially, it’s a neglected area of global health.
Approach
The CARES Advocacy Program: Our grant supports the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) to run a global advocacy and capacity-building initiative known as the CARES Programme. CARES is an acronym for its focus areas: Communication, Advocacy, Research, Education, and Strategic development. Through this program, ICPCN works on multiple fronts to expand access to children’s palliative care:
Communication & Advocacy: ICPCN engages with the World Health Organization, national governments, and major donors to put pediatric palliative care on their radar. They share compelling stories, data, and policy briefs to make the case that no child should suffer needlessly. By influencing policies and national health guidelines, they aim to incorporate palliative care services (like pain management and family counseling) into standard healthcare packages.
Research: The program supports studies and collects data demonstrating the impact and cost-effectiveness of palliative care for children. Having solid evidence helps persuade policymakers and funders. For instance, research might show how providing community-based palliative care can reduce expensive hospital admissions, strengthening the economic argument for investment.
Education & Training: ICPCN develops e-learning courses and conducts in-person training for doctors, nurses, and community health workers around the world. These trainings build local capacity so that healthcare providers know how to manage symptoms and provide compassionate care to seriously ill children. With over 4,450 individual members and 470 organizational members across its network, ICPCN leverages a large pool of practitioners to spread knowledge. The training programs create a multiplier effect: each person trained can go on to train colleagues, expanding the reach of palliative care expertise.
Strategic Development: The programme helps countries develop strategic plans and integrate palliative care into their health systems. This could include advising a health ministry on drafting a pediatric palliative care policy, or helping establish a supply chain for morphine (a key pain medication) in a place where it’s not readily available. ICPCN’s partnerships with organizations like WHO and various national health bodies provide the channels to implement these strategic changes.
Path to Scale
International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) has a network of more than 4,450 individual and 470 organizational members and global partnerships with WHO, governments, and international health bodies, allowing for policy integration and widespread adoption.
Additionally, ICPCN’s e-learning and in-person training programs equip local providers with the knowledge and skills to expand CPC services efficiently, creating a multiplying effect.
Why we think the grant is cost-effective
By focusing on education, advocacy, and strategic development, ICPCN trains healthcare providers and policymakers, leading to long-term systemic improvements while reducing reliance on expensive emergency and hospital-based care.