As we prepare for the 5th Uganda Conference on Palliative Care, PCAU is inviting palliative care teams to participate in a storytelling event. As palliative care providers, we derive our inspiration and fulfillment from our passion for compassion. Many times, we never get an opportunity to share what motivates us to serve. In our daily work, every patient, family, or community story offers us a unique source of hope and motivation. Sometimes, we struggle but see families embracing life until the end. The storytelling event during the forthcoming conference will allow us to share what brings us hope and fulfillment while providing palliative care.

This time around, we are not asking for the following: 

• Stories about patients, families, and the communities that palliative care providers serve.
• Stories about the scope of services that palliative care providers offer.
• Direct appeals for financial support or donations for palliative care work.
• Research publications or formal organization reports

We are asking for:

• Stories about what inspires palliative care providers to do what they do.
• Stories about moments when palliative care providers found passion for their work.
• Stories about moments of motivation to offer palliative care.
• Stories about the palliative care team, teamwork

The purpose or aim of collecting inspiration stories from palliative care providers.
We are collecting stories from palliative care providers in Uganda for several reasons with the main ones being the following:

• To share what brings us hope, fulfillment, and motivation while caring for others, to inspire one another in the profession. 
• To enhance learning and understanding about the best practices among palliative care provider colleagues.
• To promote public discussion and understanding of palliative care and dispel myths and misconceptions about it among the public.
• To highlight the benefits of palliative care to appeal to professionals, stakeholders, partners, and donors, promoting collaboration and support. 

Who is eligible to participate?
The Campaign focuses on the power of teams. The following forms of teams are eligible to participate.

• Palliative Care organisations/hospices
• Palliative Unit teams in hospitals and lower health centres

Eligible story content
The team shall ensure to support original source pieces and avoid stories gathered from secondary sources of data. We would like that as much as possible teams tell stories that inspire them from their own perspective/experience and not what has been reported or said about them. While we acknowledge that story telling is exiting and can be lengthy, we request that each team submits a maximum of 200 words for each of the stories. In cases where the teams have longer stories, they can submit the story summery and the online link to the longer story. Other specifications are elaborated on the submission forms.

How to participate?

• Each Palliative Care Unit/Team will submit only one story
• Fill in the online form through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/WqCESNrc80
• Submit the form before 5:00 pm local time on August 20th, 2025.
• For any questions, please email: communications@pcau.org.ug or send a WhatsApp message +256 789 737786

How will the winning story be selected?

• A panel composed of PCAU will select the top ten stories
• Stories shall be displayed for delegates to vote on the best during the 5th Uganda Conference on Cancer and Palliative Care.
• All submissions will receive notifications at all stages of the process.

Recognitions

• All submissions shall be recognised
• Stories voted top 3 shall receive a special recognition certificate during the conference.