NKOKONJERU — The African Palliative Care Association launched a pilot program in September 2025 to provide hospice support to aging nuns of the Little Sisters of St. Francis in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. This initiative follows concerns Sister Jane Frances Nakafeero presented in 2023 regarding elderly nuns and their access to palliative care.

Jean Callahan, who serves on the advisory board of the African Palliative Care Association, collaborated with Sister Jane Frances Nakafeero, the superior general of the Little Sisters of St. Francis, to establish the program. Callahan stated, "These women, who could have been my grandmother's colleagues, are being left at the end of their lives without the basic human supports they should have." The pilot program includes medical care, material supplies, psychological interventions, recreational activities for retired nuns, and caregiving training for young nuns.

Currently, a needs assessment is underway, led by Eve Namisango, the director of the African Palliative Care Association. Researchers are evaluating the care requirements of approximately 50 retired nuns from the Little Sisters of St. Francis, an order that includes members from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Namisango said, "They have served humanity for all their useful years. Now, they deserve decent, person-centered care."

Funding and knowledge for palliative care are limited within religious institutions, and African religious orders generally receive less funding than their European and American counterparts. Retired nuns at the Nkokonjeru convent have lacked sufficient adult diapers, wheelchairs, hearing aids, and warm blankets. Young nuns at the convent currently assist retired sisters with transportation and meal service.

The convent in Nkokonjeru also serves as a training ground for aspiring nuns and a burial site for deceased members. The convent cemetery contains graves of former members who worked in healthcare, education, social work, and medicine. Sister Jane Frances Nakafeero noted the diverse contributions of past members. "This one was a nurse," she said. She added, "This one was a teacher. This one was a social worker. This one was a doctor." She also described the convent as a central point for its members, saying, "The motherhouse is where we begin and where we end."

The association plans to train caregivers after the needs assessment concludes. The organization aims to implement palliative care services in Ugandan convents by 2027 and intends to expand the initiative across Africa thereafter. The Vatican reported approximately 82,000 nuns reside in Africa, and the association estimates that between 8,000 and 10,000 African nuns require end-of-life medical support.