ACREOL-African Center for Research on End of Life Care

19/08/2026

Adopt vs. Adapt: Rethinking Palliative Care in Africa 🌍

Across Africa, , , , and influence how serious illness, suffering, and care are understood. This raises an important question: do we adopt existing models, or adapt them to the realities of the people we serve?

Our newly PublishedPaper, “Sociocultural Perspectives on Palliative Care Across East African Community Countries: A Narrative Review with Thematic Synthesis,” explores these realities across the region.

Featured in the Rwanda Public Health Bulletin (RPHB), Volume 7, Issue 2 (June 2026) by RBCRwanda Official , the review brings four dimensions into focus:

🌍 Culture and community in shaping experiences of serious illness.
🙏 Spirituality and belief systems in care.
💬 Communication around illness, prognosis, and end of life.
💊 Access to pain relief and essential palliative care services.

Palliative care must make both clinical and cultural sense to the people it serves.

📖 Read our paper on pages 32–39: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/38127/news/health/chub-how-new-cancer-centre-is-bringing-care-closer-to-patients

PalliativeCare Research Africa EastAfrica Rwanda Culture PeopleCentredCare GlobalHealth ACREOLGlobal

14/08/2026

One Patient. One Journey. Why Should Cancer Care Be Fragmented? 🎗️🌍

may detect cancer. may change its course. addresses suffering and . But the person experiencing cancer lives one journey.

That perspective shaped a forward-looking conversation between our Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Christian Ntizimira , Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily, and Lacy Hubbard, President and CEO of the Elekta Foundation, on the future of care.

The conversation connected three areas that belong together:
🔬 Detect earlier: expanding prevention and screening so more people can access timely care.
🌍 Share knowledge further: connecting cancer professionals, evidence, experiences, and voices across borders.
❤️ Care throughout: integrating palliative care so physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs are addressed alongside clinical treatment.

For ACREOL Global, the exchange also brought an OncoDaily connection into the room. In 2025, Dr. Christian was named among OncoDaily’s 100 Most Influential CEOs in Oncology, placing palliative care, dignity, and quality of life within a wider global cancer dialogue.

The future of Cancer Care is not one intervention. It is a continuum that sees the diagnosis, the person, and the family together.

03/08/2026

🔥🔥 is making history!

From “22–24 September 2027”, Rwanda will host the “10th International Advance Care Planning Conference,” the first ACP conference to take place in and in .

We congratulate and thank the Hon. Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana (Nsanzimana Sabin ), for his support in making this landmark event possible and for helping make Advance Care Planning an emerging reality in Rwanda.

The conference will bring and global experiences for meaningful conversations on culture, dignity in care, health equity, and improving the quality of life for patients and their families.

📅 Save the date: 22–24 September 2027
📍 Rwanda

More information will be shared soon. Stay tuned!

17/07/2026

The Harvard Legacy: From Mentor and Mentee to Global Leaders. 🎓🌍🇷🇼

A Scholar and Master’s student in Global Health Delivery, Dr. Daniel BYIRINGIRO, reconnected with his mentor, Dr. Christian NTIZIMIRA, Founder and Executive Director of . Their conversation centered on advancing and translating into meaningful action for communities.

Their journey reflects a legacy built on purpose:
✨ A mentorship that transcends the classroom: evolving into a shared commitment to developing future leaders and expanding opportunities for the next generation.

🎓 Global learning, local impact: a shared and Fulbright journey where knowledge finds its greatest purpose in improving healthcare and serving communities.

🌍 A shared vision: advancing compassionate, culturally grounded healthcare through leadership, collaboration, research, and service.

Dr. Paul Farmer challenged us to move beyond expertise to . The true legacy of education is measured by what we bring back home, the people we empower, and the communities we serve.

10/07/2026

What happens when curiosity travels from to ? 🇨🇭🤝🇷🇼

It becomes a journey of discovery.

Corina Buhl, an ICU and Palliative Care Nurse from Spitalzentrum Biel / Centre hospitalier Bienne ( ), joined ACREOL Global’s for an embedded learning experience, following the patient and family journey from hospital to home.

Along the way, she discovered:

👉🏾How care stays connected: following patients from Gatonde District Hospital ( ) to Busengo Health Centre, where healthcare providers, referral systems, and community health workers work together to ensure continuity of care.

🥚 How the One Egg Project became poultry farming: seeing how a simple nutrition initiative in the community served by Byumba Level 2 Teaching Hospital evolved into a sustainable source of livelihood, strengthening family resilience and fostering social cohesion for a family living with serious illness.

🏥 How PalliativeCare becomes everyday practice: experiencing how multidisciplinary teams integrate compassionate, human-centred care into routine clinical practice.

Some journeys teach new skills. Come and experience African perspectives on palliative care through ACREOL Global’s Visitors Program.

18/06/2026

KÒSSA NOU FÈ LA?

Il y a des conversations que l’on évite,
non parce qu’elles seraient sans importance,
mais parce qu’elles touchent à ce qu’il y a de plus , de plus vulnérable, de plus en nous.

La fin de .
Le .
L’accompagnement des personnes et de leurs proches.

Des réalités humaines majeures,
qui nous rappellent que le soin n’est jamais seulement un acte technique,
mais aussi une manière d’être présent à l’autre,
de reconnaître sa dignité,
et de faire place à sa parole, à sa peur, à son histoire et à sa souffrance.

À travers ces deux conférences,
le Groupe CRC - Caisses Réunionnaises Complémentaires nous a invités à penser autrement.
À écouter des voix venues d’horizons complémentaires.
À croiser les approches médicales, humaines, culturelles et éthiques.
À comprendre que l’accompagnement de la fin de vie ne concerne pas seulement les professionnels,
mais toute société qui choisit de rester humaine face à la fragilité.

Car parler de la fin de vie,
ce n’est pas céder à la tristesse.
C’est refuser l’indifférence.
C’est redonner au soin sa profondeur.
C’est rappeler que même lorsque guérir n’est plus possible,
Accompagner, soulager, écouter et aimer restent pleinement possibles.

17/06/2026

We're excited to see ACREOL Global and the featured by UICC - Union for International Cancer Control.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to advance accessible, culturally grounded, human-centered that values patients and their families.

UICC member ACREOL is raising awareness of palliative care through the Safari Concept — a culturally grounded approach that centres people living with and beyond cancer, families, and communities.

The Safari Concept brings families into care and decision-making alongside healthcare teams. Using animals as symbols, it helps understand and respond to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those facing serious illness.

Find out more about how to get involved 👉 ACREOL Global.

10/06/2026

Dr. Christian Ntizimira partage comment la philosophie d’ a changé sa pratique en soins palliatifs.

Elle a déplacé mon regard. Elle m’a aidé à comprendre que la fin de ne relève pas uniquement de la , mais aussi de l’ , de la , des relations et de la responsabilité collective.

Dans cette perspective, accompagner une personne gravement malade ne consiste pas seulement à traiter des symptômes. Il s’agit également de reconnaître la souffrance des proches, de répondre aux angoisses existentielles, de prévenir les deuils compliqués et de créer des conditions de mourir plus humaines.

La phrase « Les morts ne sont pas morts » ouvre ici une réflexion essentielle : que devient notre humanité lorsque nous faisons face à la vulnérabilité ultime ?
Ubuntu apporte une réponse africaine forte à cette question. Il nous rappelle que la dignité n’est pas individuelle au sens étroit ; elle se construit dans l’interdépendance, l’attention portée à l’autre et la solidarité.

Pour moi, cette approche a profondément transformé la pratique des soins palliatifs : moins de technicité isolée, plus de présence ; moins d’abstraction, plus de liens ; moins d’indifférence, plus de responsabilité partagée.

Je vous invite à lire cet article dans la r***e Sciences Humaines & Sociales .info avant le 21 juin: https://shs.cairn.info/r***e-jusqua-la-mort-accompagner-la-vie-2026-1-page-43?lang=fr&ref=doi