Capacity Development for Palliative Home Care for Rural Communities

Dear President Jesus M. Pineda Jr. and board members,

We would like to invite RC Manila to participate in a GG Project initiated by RC Bangkok. The main objective of this GG Project is to transfer knowledge, skills and best practices of end of life stage care program to caregivers of patients in their last stage of life and build awareness on holistic treatment, aka, palliative care among rural community leaders, caregivers and family members of patients in their last stage of life. Trained participants would be able to further expand the knowledge gained from the training to further effect the humanitarian services in other areas.

Attached is a brief Project Proposal for your kind consideration. While we hope RC Manila will join us, please don't hesitate to share your observations and opinions of any areas of improvement of the Proposal.

On a related note. If you have any GG Project initiative, please let us know. We shall be happy to participate.

YIR, Asst. Prof. Dr. Lalita Hongratanawong, Foundation Chair, RC Bangkok 2018-2019

Invitation to join a GG Project Proposed by: Rotary Club of Bangkok, Thailand, September 24, 2018

1. What is the title of the project? Capacity Development for Palliative Home Care for Rural Communities

2. What are the needs/ problems? Middle and lower income families in rural communities in Thailand are heavily laden with debts from medical bills in taking care of bedridden family members in their last stage of life. To stop giving the most expensive treatment to their family members, albeit too costly to their earnings, is against Asian family values. According to the Thai Society of Palliative Care, medical professionals have been trying to offer them an alternative to the invasive medical treatments that are painful and costly, yet do not provide quality of life to the patients in the end.

3. What are the solutions? (also provide the estimate length of time to complete the project) The GG Project aims to transfer knowledge, skills and best practices of end of life stage care program to caregivers of patients in their last stage of life and build awareness on holistic treatment, aka, palliative care among rural community leaders, caregivers and family members of patients in their last stage of life. Trained participants would be able to further expand the knowledge gained from the training to further effect the humanitarian services in other areas. We need to introduce palliative care as an alternative to invasive medical treatments that are painful and costly, yet do not provide quality of life to the patients in the end. RCB will organize 5 palliative care workshops partnering with specialists covering various issues on ethical, legal and socio-economic issues that worry families with bedridden patients. The time of training is a 2 days workshops. The whole project takes 1 year to complete.

4. What groups will benefit from the project? And why? The Project provides training and development to over two hundred opinion leaders and elderly care workers and volunteers of NGO organizations in rural communities in Thailand. It will benefit thousands of end-of life patients and their families. It also gives the opportunity for those opinion leaders and NGOs to strengthen their networks and share their skills and knowledge.

5. How were members of the groups/ local community involved in planning the project? The critical success factors of the project are (i) qualification and selection of non-profit organizations and attendants to attend the workshops/ trainings; (ii) development of training materials; (iii) logistic planning and organization of training and field studies; (iv) effective delivery/conducting training; (v) measurement method of effectiveness of the trainings; (vi) Impact Assessment of the overall project. The Host Club, Rotary Club of Bangkok will work with its international partners' Club and local cooperation organizations in supporting the above activities of these critical success factors, particularly in the areas of development of workshop/ training materials, measurement of effectiveness of workshop/ training and impact assessment.

6. How can we make the activity sustainable? e.g., highlights the characteristics of the sustainability of the project, such as funding, knowledge, technology, motivation, etc. Graduates from the training/ workshop would be able to apply their skills and knowledge to benefit a lot of people. The on-going networking activities among the graduates after their trainings will provide the opportunities to share and enhance their skills and knowledge. In addition, there will be on-going influence to many more others to have the right view for the last stage palliative care.

7. How much is the cost for doing the project? The total budget is US$35,000. The Host, Rotary Club of Bangkok has allocated DDF US$6,000.00 for this initiative. The International Partner, Rotary Club of Kowloon East, will contribute DDF US$5,000.00

8. Project Initiation This GG Project is initiated by PP. Chamnong Watanagase and has been approved by the Board of the RC Bangkok. The Draft of the GG Project Number is: GG1977558