At times, because of the great distance between home and hospital, when it becomes knowable that cancer treatments have no additional benefit the journey home is no longer possible. Rural areas of Mozambique can be tremendously difficult to access by those with healthy bodies; for those with late-stage cancer, they become impassible.
When home cannot be reached, Casa Ahava offers a community, a quiet room, a cool cloth, and a hand to hold to the dying with nowhere else to go.
For the men and women in treatment for their cancer at the Maputo Central Hospital, Casa Ahava is a home of respite and comfort away from the constant reminder of illness. When a patient is transferred from a remote province of Mozambique to receive cancer care in Maputo, there is often very little or no social support available so far from home. Instead of living in the hospital for months on end, in coordination with our partners at Maputo Central Hospital, a patient is referred, invited, and brought to live at Casa Ahava during that arduous journey. Instead of the sterile walls of the hospital, they are given a soft bed, a cozy kitchen, a welcoming community, and as much comfort as can be offered.
Though we recognize that we are always learning ourselves, we also recognize that there are parts of our experience and our study that may be of use to those around us. From that well of knowledge, we draw as much as we can and offer it as freely as we know how to the medical and non-medical systems around us. Layne’s expertise and passion for palliative care and Jon’s passion for grief literacy and teaching the skill in the work of grief itself are on offer to whomever we may come across.
Contact or Give.
Email: jonheller@casaahava.org
WhatsApp: +258 82 369-1505