Change is never accepted by many people, everyone wants to be in their comfort zone. Nathaniel Branden states that “The first step towards change is awareness; the second is acceptance”. Putting in mind that change is inevitable, I’m guided by this quote in my everyday life to take the broad step and embrace change!

In the just concluded strategic plan meeting held at Grace House Resort from 3^rd to 4^th March 2016, the Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association (KEHPCA) staff and board members mainly focused on the implementation of change in various sections of the previous (2012-2016) strategic plan and implement the change in the new 2017-2021 strategic plan. Jessica Kilonzo and Catherine Muchira from Steps Ahead Consulting facilitated the whole process for the two day program. The process seemed tiring but members were determined to amend the few sections in the strategic plan in order to allow growth in the organization and see KEHPCA’s vision better accomplished.

KEHPCA members had high expectations for the organization to continue leading in offering Quality palliative care for all in Kenya and hopefully in the near future all counties will have an operating palliative care services for accessible, affordable and acceptable services. According to Bill Clinton, ‘the price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change’ therefore, KEHPCA took their time despite being a long process in amending and incorporating change made on the document ,building up more ideas on the current strategic plan.

A Strategic plan is a document used to communicate with the organizations goals, actions needed to achieve those goals and all other critical elements developed during planning exercise. It is a document that uses a systems approach that starts with the end in mind or outcome. The lead facilitator, Jessica helped members to identify outcomes and the activities that were needed to achieve them. Members felt it was time to encourage leadership in palliative care development across the country by identifying champions to assist in palliative care management in all the hospitals. Recently, KEHPCA participated in an assessment programme with the American Cancer Societywhere the results showed that KEHPCA is leading at 93% in maturing though there was need to work on pioneering as an organization in order to strike balance in growth at all levels. “The strategic plan ensures that an organization is able to get feedback from organization members when they share the same vision” said Jessica Kilonzo (Steps Ahead consultant).

Organizations fail due to ignorance and assuming that a strategic plan is only made for official purposes but not to be followed where small groups, and other organizations follow suite butKEHPCA chose to embrace change and make amendments in the strategic plan in order to boost better performance in the next five years to come. KEHPCA hopes to be a palliative care regulatory body in Kenya where change will be felt  in palliative care and be integrated in the counties’ health sector so that everybody in the country can access quality palliative care.

Let us be the change that we want to see!