HENDERSONVILLE, N.C., March 6, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Global health initiative leader, Njekwa Lumbwe, national coordinator of the Palliative Care Alliance of Zambia, is the guest of honor at a Hendersonville premiere film screening of “A Unified Presence,” on Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. at Hendersonville High School Auditorium. Lumbwe will host a “talk back” session for audience members following the viewing. 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
During a personal experience of caring for terminally ill family members, Lumbwe saw a need for empathic care as disease progression outran treatment effectiveness. <\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“It is frustrating to have a patient with an incurable condition,” says Lumbwe. “Yet, there is something you can do for the patient.”<\/p>\n
As doctors and nurses are certified in advanced palliative care methods, it makes a huge difference in the lives of the Zambian people served.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
“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>. <\/p>\n 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\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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