To mark International Children’s Palliative Care Day, Rachel House Foundation presented a giant “Living Wall” installation at Cilandak Town Square Mall from 13 to 15 October. 

Rachel House, a home-based children’s palliative care service provider in Indonesia, invited people to celebrate the invaluable support provided by palliative care tha that has helped numerous seriously ill children and their families in Jakarta.

The “Living Wall” is a series of Giant Blackboards where people cam read the stories of those children and what they wish forin their last phase of life. Rachel House also invited people to give their own answers to the question: what would you do ifyou had only one more day to live?

“The ‘Living Wall’ invites Jakartans to reflect on the preciousness of every day and to recognise that there are seriously ill children who may not live to see tomorrow,” said Kartika Kurniasari, CEO of Rachel House Foundation.

By asking people the question, Rachel House tried to spark a conversation in the community about palliative care and the plight of many seriously ill children for whom every day could be their last. Rachel House estimates that less than one per cent of the almost 700,000 children living with serious illnesses have access to palliative care, while the rest continue to live in pain.

On the same occasion, Rachel House also respectfully called on the Indonesian government to integrate palliative care within all levels of the Indonesian health system to enable hundreds of thousands of children across the country to be able to spend the rest of their days free of pain and with joy and dignity.

Sari Widiati

Sari Widiati

Sari has been an arts and culture enthusiast for many years. She has written extensively on the arts, travel, and social issues as Features Writer at NOW! Jakarta.