#HatsOn4CPC What is this campaign about?
This day was created by the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) to bring more awareness to the situation of the more than 21 million children in the world with a life-limiting or life threatening illness or condition that would require palliative care. Palliative care is still a relatively new concept to many people, and the idea of children needing palliative care is even harder for people to comprehend. It goes against all our instincts to think of children so sick that they might die, and yet this is precisely the situation all over the world. Thousands of children are born every day with life-threatening syndromes, with cardiac lesions, with renal problems and children develop other life-threatening illnesses like leukaemia or other cancers.
What services that are available for children in these situations tend to be in the developed world while most of the children needing care are in poorer and developing countries. Sadly, many die in pain and discomfort, unable to reach the few services that exist. As a palliative care organisation for children in South Africa, PatchSA aims to increase awareness of the need for children’s palliative care for over 800,000 children in our country and to inform and educate people about the benefits of palliative care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses and their families. 
One way to do that- is to get your friends, colleagues, family, church or other religious organisation, to WEAR A HAT on Friday 12 October. Have a tea, or a chat with them. Offer them some of the resources available. See the link here to a fact sheet or visit the Hats On 4 CPC Page on the ICPCN website.
You can contact us at info@patchsa.org to see if there is someone near you who can speak to a group about palliative care.
When you hold your event, remember you are part of thousands of people across the globe promoting awareness of this vital need for our children. You can register your event here and ICPCN will put it on the map.
Don’t forget to take photos, upload them to social media and tag us at #patchpalliative for Instagram or our Facebook page Patch South Africa. Use the hashtag #hatson4cpc.
