The Documentary Podcast

Heart and Soul: Facing death in Kenya


Listen Later

In Kenya, palliative care - which involves end of life care for terminally ill patients - is often treated with suspicion. There's a deep taboo around speaking about the death of a person before it happens, which is thought to be like welcoming it. Some feel that taking up end of life care indicates that you've lost faith in the power of a healing God to cure your illness.

But serious and complex illnesses like cancer are becoming more common in Kenya, and end of life care is a much-needed service for people facing death. In Eldoret, Western Kenya, a group of Christians have made it their life's work to defy the stigma, and to help those with terminal illnesses find peace in their final days.

Kimbilio Hospice, run by a Christian charity called Living Room International, was established by Pastor David Tarus over a decade ago. The hospice provides specialist medical care to ease symptoms at the very end of a patient’s life, but often they first have to convince patients' families that it's OK to accept the facility's help. BBC Africa reporter Esther Ogola visited the hospice to see what exactly that entails.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Documentary PodcastBy BBC World Service

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

1,607 ratings


More shows like The Documentary Podcast

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,669 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

375 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,049 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,528 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

963 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

584 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,753 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,045 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

355 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

580 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

963 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

413 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

411 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

732 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

852 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

364 Listeners

Today in Focus by The Guardian

Today in Focus

996 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,166 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,002 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

729 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,003 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

384 Listeners