HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. /eNewsChannels/ — NEWS: Njekwa Lumbwe, national coordinator of the Palliative Care Alliance of Zambia, is the guest of honor at a premiere film screening of “A Unified Presence,” on Saturday, March 22, 2014, at Hendersonville High School Auditorium. Lumbwe will host a talk back session for audience members following the viewing. A VIP welcome reception for Lumbwe will precede the event at the Four Seasons Palliative Care Clinic.
The short documentary features the inspiring cross-continental partnership of PCAZ with Four Seasons Compassion for Life, Flat Rock, in their collaborative effort to improve access to quality palliative care during serious, life-limiting illness or at end of life for individuals throughout Zambia.
During a personal experience of caring for terminally ill family members, Lumbwe saw a need for empathic care as disease progression outran treatment effectiveness.
“We are moving into a global family; what happens on one side of the world affects the other,” says Lumbwe. “Things are never equal in the world. To find a partner who is willing to work with you to make your situation better is a gift.”
Filmed on location in Zambia and North Carolina by Emmy award-winning Asheville filmmakers Dylan and Melanie Trivette, the documentary captures the importance of this partnership.
Zambia lies in the sub-Saharan, southern region of Africa. With fewer than 800 doctors nationwide, expert consensus remains that the country is ill-equipped to take care of the needs of the seriously ill and dying. On average, Zambians have a life expectancy of 48 years, about half that of North Carolinians, with high incidences of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and cancer.
“It is frustrating to have a patient with an incurable condition,” says Lumbwe. “Yet, there is something you can do for the patient.”
As doctors and nurses are certified in advanced palliative care methods, it makes a huge difference in the lives of the Zambian people served.
“Four Seasons has anchored in to support us, building the capacity of care providers to be able to provide palliative care services and advanced training. The cross-cultural aspects of collaboration between agencies half a world apart is crucial to the mission’s success,” says Lumbwe. “It establishes a foundation on which you can do everything else. People are coming – to give help and also to understand the culture. Nothing is more gratifying than that.”
“A Unified Presence,” premieres Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 7 p.m. at Hendersonville High School Auditorium, 1 Bearcat Boulevard, followed by a “talk back” session with Lumbwe. Tickets are $10, available in advance at http://www.zambiafundraiser.com/ .
A V.I.P. welcome reception for Lumbwe will precede the event from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Palliative Care Clinic, 506 Park Hill Court. For more information about Four Seasons Compassion for Life or its work in Zambia, visit http://www.fourseasonscfl.org/zambia/ .
Video: http://player.vimeo.com/video/75215169 .
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