From Maryland to Tanzania: How Compassion Crosses Continents
Since 2009, Gilchrist has partnered with the Palliative Care Program at Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital in northern Tanzania through Global Partners in Care. What began as a knowledge-sharing partnership evolved into a long-term commitment when Gilchrist stepped in to fully fund the program after Nkoaranga lost its primary source of support in 2011.
Today, Nkoaranga serves patients and families facing significant challenges, including poverty, food insecurity, limited access to healthcare, and transportation barriers. A dedicated team, including a physician, social worker, palliative care coordinator, chaplain, driver, and 12 trained volunteers, provides care both in the hospital and directly in patients’ homes.
In 2025 alone, the team completed more than 574 home visits and supported an average monthly caseload of 860 patients and family members. Beyond medical care, Nkoaranga offers caregiver education, emotional and spiritual support, HIV/AIDS support groups, and a Kids Club that provides meals, mentorship, medical follow-up, and educational scholarships for more than 30 children each month.
Jessica’s Story
One of the many lives touched by this partnership is Jessica, a mother living with diabetes in a rural Tanzanian community. Jessica’s journey highlights the complex challenges many patients face when serious illness intersects with poverty. Jessica had been hospitalized multiple times due to complications from poorly controlled diabetes. Limited access to medications, inconsistent nutrition, and financial hardship made it difficult to manage her disease. During one particularly severe episode, she arrived at the hospital in a semi-conscious state due to complications from uncontrolled blood sugar levels.
Following treatment, Jessica’s condition improved significantly, but the underlying challenges remained. Maintaining a diabetic diet was nearly impossible given her family’s limited resources, placing her at continued risk for future complications. Recognizing that Jessica’s needs extended beyond medical care alone, Nkoaranga’s palliative care team developed a holistic approach that addressed both her health and her family’s long-term stability. Clinicians, social workers, and family members worked together to support Jessica’s recovery while helping address the social and economic barriers affecting her health.
A Gift That Continues Giving
One of the most meaningful parts of Jessica’s story began with a simple act of generosity. Through support from Diane Sancilio, Director of Supportive Care Services at Gilchrist, Jessica received assistance to start a small chicken-keeping project. What may seem like a modest intervention has become life-changing for Jessica and her family.
Today, Jessica has a reliable source of eggs that helps provide the protein she needs to maintain a healthier diabetic diet. Any surplus eggs can be sold, creating additional household income and improving her family’s financial stability. The project has helped address two of the biggest challenges affecting her health: nutrition and poverty.
Jessica’s story demonstrates how palliative care often means looking beyond a diagnosis to understand the full picture of a person’s life. By addressing social causes of health alongside medical needs, the team helped Jessica move from crisis toward stability and independence.
A Partnership Making a Difference
The partnership between Gilchrist and Nkoaranga reflects a shared belief that compassionate care should not be limited by geography, income, or circumstance. Thanks to the generosity of Gilchrist and GBMC staff—many of whom contribute through payroll deduction—as well as the support of donors, volunteers, and fundraising initiatives, Gilchrist is able to help fund staff salaries, medications, volunteer stipends, transportation, vehicle maintenance, educational scholarships, and other basic necessities.
While tremendous progress has been made, significant challenges remain. Many families continue to face food insecurity, limited access to medications, unreliable transportation, and aging healthcare infrastructure. Yet every day, the Nkoaranga team continues its work, traveling long distances, caring for patients in their homes, supporting families, and helping people live with dignity despite extraordinary circumstances.
From Maryland to Tanzania, this partnership serves as a reminder that compassion knows no borders.
