US volunteers support Zululand Hospice
The duo, who are well in to their seventies, have had a long-standing relationship with the Zululand charity organisation and have visited this region since 2003 to lend support
TWO American volunteers, Gail Hubbard and Erman Perkins, who support Zululand Hospice annually, were back in the country this month to deliver donations and medical supplies.
They also spent time visiting terminally ill patients and offering support.
The duo, who are well in to their seventies, have had a long-standing relationship with the Zululand charity organisation and have visited this region since 2003 to lend support.
Perkins, who is the ambassador of the sister Hospice organisation in the United States, was introduced to the work in Zululand in 2003 when she was part of the Global Partners in Care Hospice & AIDS Care Professional Seminar Tour to Sub-Saharan Africa, which also visited KZN.
As Zululand Hospice offers home-based care services delivered by a team of professional nurses, trained care workers and volunteer caregivers who work closely with patients’ personal general practitioner or specialist, Perkins brings along donations of medical supplies and more volunteers every year to assist.
As a result of proposing a food sustainability project ‘Seeds of Hospice’ to the team in 2008, Zululand Hospice was connected with the Harley School of Rochester, with Perkins leading a visit in 2009, which in turn, resulted in an annual Hospice visit.
Perkins travels to South Africa every year and brings along volunteers for the week-long stay.
This year she joined staff and volunteers on outreaches in Nseleni and Aquadene.
According to Zululand Hospice representative Ashley Naicker, Perkins and her volunteers bring their skills and expertise to care for local patients, as well as supplies such as wound care bandages, alcohol swabs, gloves and N95 masks.
‘They also support us financially by holding fund-raisers in the US, selling curios they have brought from South Africa.
‘They allow us to utilise the funds for operational costs, salaries and patient supplies.
‘They have also given funds specifically to assist with patient transport (Uhambo Oluhle), allowing us to assist patients to travel to clinic or hospital for check-ups and to collect medication,’ he said.
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