Calendars and Christmas Cards 2022

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We have 2 beautiful designs for Christmas cards for 2022, including a new design showing an Africa-focussed Christmas bauble, and a popular design from a previous year. Both designs are exclusive to Hospice Ethiopia by linocut printmaker and artist Alice Roberts. Cards in packs of 10 are priced at £5 per pack (+postage if applicable) and are available from Marion (celia.bryce@btinternet.com), Sue (info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk) or the pop-up Christmas card shop at St Peter Mancroft church, Norwich (from 19/10/21).

We also have a new calendar for 2023, featuring amazing photos from around Ethiopia -these make ideal Christmas presents! Calendars are £10 each (+ postage if applicable) and are available from Sue (info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk).

Welcome to Dr Fredrika Collins

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Hospice Ethiopia is delighted to be welcoming Dr Fredrika Collins to work as a volunteer for the next few months. Before she leaves the England’s shores, she is raising money for the Hospice by swimming between the 2 piers at Brighton – a distance of about 1km. Please support this valiant effort by donating via JustGiving.

Fredrika is an internal medicine trainee in Brighton, exploring a career in palliative care. In September 2022 she is moving to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to work for a year as a teaching fellow within the internal medicine department of Addis Ababa University. During this time she will also be volunteering for Hospice Ethiopia, by working clinically in their Day Care, Outpatients, and Home care programmes and assisting with education and training.

She completed her undergraduate medical degree at King’s College London, and foundation training at Croydon University Hospital. Between 2019-2020 she worked as a research assistant in Peru on a trial investigating the health benefits of clean cooking gas, before moving to Brighton to commence her internal medicine training.

She is particularly interested in the role of healthcare professionals in tackling local health inequalities, and set up the Health Education England approved ‘The Global Health Series’ in 2018, which continues to run at several trusts across London and the Southeast.

Exciting news from Hospice Ethiopia director

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It all began when UK doctor Zeb Mebratu was looking for hospice services in Ethiopia for her uncle Anghesom, who had been diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct and liver at the American Medical Center in Addis Adaba. She searched online and came across Hospice Ethiopia UK. She contacted the charity who linked the patient with Hospice Ethiopia in Addis Adaba, which is led by Ephrem Abathun.

After determining the needs of the Anghesom, Ephrem provided him with symptom management, end of life care, and supportive care to the family. This care included pain killers and other essential medicines free of charge. Ephrem remained in close contact with Dr Zeb and her family and they were pleased and grateful for his care and support. After controlling his symptoms, he was able to return home to Eritrea and died peacefully a week later surrounded by his family.

Zeb’s mother, Teblez had a favourite brother who sadly died many years ago of kidney failure. She had been saving money in the intervening years in order to do something in his memory. So impressed were the family at her brother in law’s care from Hospice Ethiopia that she has decided to donate her saved up fund of £50,000 to Hospice Ethiopia in memory of her brother.  After careful discussion with the family part of the donation has been allocated to the Comfort Fund which has been renamed the Tewolde Medhane fund in honour of Teblez’ brother. The rest of the donation will be allocated to a Building Fund which has been established to fund the construction of Hospice Ethiopia’s own premises in due course.

Ephrem and Sue thank Teblez and her family whole heartedly for the very generous donation.

Hospice Ethiopia UK Article in the New Scientist

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We’re pleased to announce that Hospice Ethiopia appears in the latest issue of the prestigious New Scientist journal – issue 3379. The article unfortunately can’t be viewed online but subscribers will be able to view it in their print copy on page 29. We hope that this will spread the word about HEUK to a wide range of people both here in the UK and overseas. The article was included under the “advertise your charity” initiative.

Notice of AGM April 2022

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Hospice Ethiopia UK’s AGM will take place on

Tuesday 12th April 2022 at 6.30 pm via Zoom

All supporters welcome.

Do join us via the Zoom link below to hear what we’ve been doing over the last year. It will include a short video from Ephrem, the Director of Hospice Ethiopia, describing how our money is put to good use caring for the dying in Ethiopia. He will be joining our meeting to answer your questions too. To read the Annual Report for 2021 please click here. Last year’s AGM minutes, this year’s agenda, and the financial statement can be viewed here. All welcome!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81578199994?pwd=dVBuM2ZQRTI2dnExcnREOXNoSUxQUT09

Meeting ID: 815 7819 9994

Passcode: 798672

The Wolterton Hall Glitterati Ball

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We are excited to announce that Wolterton Hall will open its doors this summer for a sparkling event called The Glitterati Ball. The Ball is on Saturday, June 11th and takes place in the main state rooms of the Hall, including the Venetian Room, the Saloon and the Portrait Room. A dazzling selection of entertainments is promised and guests will be treated to a champagne reception and a three course buffet dinner – all for just £65.

The Glitterati Ball is being held at Wolterton Hall by kind permission of owners Peter Sheppard and Keith Day. Rt Hon Sir Norman Lamb is the patron of the event.

Glitterati Ball at Wolterton Hall image
Photograph courtesy Christopher Horwood

The evening will begin at 7.30pm with a glass or two of champagne or cordial. The entertainments include live music, with both a classical recital and a dance band, along with an auction of promises, a raffle, a photo booth and a wine bar. There’s also the chance for visitors to see some of the fascinating reconstruction work that Peter and Keith are undertaking in the building and grounds of this magnificent country mansion, once the home of the Walpole family.

“Glitter is the name of the game and we hope people will dress to impress,” says Sue Mumford, chair of Hospice Ethiopia UK. “The most sparkling outfit will win the wearer a bottle of bubbly!

Tickets are available online through Eventbrite.

Buy Tickets

Hospice Ethiopia AGM

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Notice of AGM

Hospice Ethiopia UK’s AGM will take place on

Thursday 11th March 2021 at 6.30 pm via Zoom

Please email info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk to get a Zoom link

All supporters welcome.

We are delighted that the formal (brief) meeting will be followed by a video from Ephrem, Director of Hospice Ethiopia, about his work. He will also be available via Zoom to answer any questions. The minutes from last year’s AGM, the Annual Report and the Treasurer’s report can all be viewed here.

January update

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Compassionate Art talk

We were delighted with the response to Nick’s fascinating talk on Compassionate Art last Monday. From Rembrandt to press photographs we were treated to an interesting evening about the different ways various artists have depicted compassion.

Thank you to all the donors whose compassion has raised over £725 to help fund the nurses of Hospice Ethiopia to deliver palliative care to those dying in Ethiopia.  

Initiators Couse

We are delighted that Nurse Kakidan has gained a place on the prestigious Palliative Care Initiators course run by Hospice Africa Uganda. Hospice Ethiopia’s Education Fund has funded her place and will provide support for her learning.

The course provides health professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement sustainable and high standard palliative care services and to advocate their governments and other key stakeholders. It also bonds palliative care specialists from various countries together, in such a way that they learn from their countries’ different challenges and achievements.

Nurse Kalkidan outside a patient’s home in Addis Ababa

Annual meeting and presentation

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The Hospice Ethiopia annual meeting will be held on Thursday 5th March 6pm at the Priscilla Bacon Centre for Specialist Palliative Care in Norwich.

Please come and hear the amazing support we have had over the last year and the developments and plans for the next 12 months.

Hospice Ethiopia UK’s annual meeting will be followed by refreshments and an illustrated talk by Sue and Marion about their recent visit to Ethiopia in February 2020.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Recent fundraising successes

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During the build-up to Christmas we’ve had several very successful fundraising events including a talk by Sue & Jamie at Ranworth Church, bag packing at Tesco’s in Aylsham, St Michael’s Christmas Tree festival and Carols in Aldborough Community Centre. These events have raised just under £900 in total. Very many thanks to all those who supported Hospice Ethiopia at these events.


For the second year running Hospice Ethiopia UK was accepted to take part in The Big Give Christmas challenge. We are delighted that we received 42 donations, which with the matching funds and gift aid totalled the fantastic sum of £10,425. This will pay the nurses’ salaries at Hospice Ethiopia for 6 months. We could not have raised such a phenomenal amount without our supporters’ generosity; we are truly grateful.


Following a talk to Holt Rotary club in October, we are very grateful to Maureen Ford for talking to a Rep from Welland who has supplied over 500 colostomy bags for the patients of Hospice Ethiopia who have a stoma. Colostomy bags are not available at all in Ethiopia, so this donation will really transform the lives of patients. Sue will deliver some of these to hospice Ethiopia when she visits in February.

Below is the lovely and festive HE Christmas tree at St Michael’s Church in December:

xmas tree