Cllr Aisling Moran to join Garron Noone on humanitarian mission to Uganda

LAOIS county councillor Aisling Moran (Ind) is set to join TikTok star Garron Noone, former Presidential election candidate Gareth Sheridan, and 20 other volunteers on a humanitarian mission to Uganda.

Organised by the Hope on Wheels (HOW), the convoy mission will see the volunteers deliver 11 ambulances from Ireland to Uganda to support palliative care.

The ambulances will be driven overland from Mombasa, Kenya to Kampala, Uganda on a 1,200km journey beginning Sunday, 24 May. The volunteers are expected to arrive in Kampala on Monday, 1 June.

Cllr Moran said she is “delighted” to join the convoy, which will assist with end-of-life care for the critically ill in Uganda.

“When I heard about this opportunity, I didn’t hesitate”, she says.

“The needs for palliative care in Uganda are huge, with less than 11 per cent of the estimated 500,000 people that need palliative care accessing it. Thousands of people, adults and children die every year suffering and in serious pain. Anything that can be done to increase access to care is worth supporting.” 

In October 2025, Mark Donald Mwesiga, executive director of the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU), spoke at the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Commemoration in Kampala.

He said that the Uganda has yet to establish a national level policy strategic framework “to guide the programming and implementation of palliative care at all levels”, despite the country’s reputation as a continental leader in this field.

“The number of trained palliative care professionals is still limited to only 300 health facilities providing this form of care in 107 of the 146 districts, leaving out many places without a nearby health facility offering palliative care”, he said.

Cllr Moran said that she has been involved in fundraisers in the past, noting that this has been something that she has always wanted to do: “To be given the opportunity to help people that are so in need is a privilege”, she said.

“We are delivering ambulances that are out of commission in Ireland. They will be used as Mobile Palliative Care Clinics by locally trained nurses and doctors to provide the pain relief, care and dignity for end of life.” 

Cllr Moran is appealing to everyone to give as little or as much as they can afford, adding that the convoy is comprised of volunteers from all walks of life, including a past and serving member of the gardaí, a former journalist, a GP, businesspeople, farmers and retirees.

“As volunteers we each pay all our expenses; flights, accommodation and meals. Every cent raised goes directly to the charity”, she said.

I’ll be relaying regular updates on the journey on my social media sites and will provide a QR code and link for people if they would like to donate to this very worthy cause.” 

The ambulances have been donated by the HSE National Ambulance Service, Dublin Fire Brigade and Civil Defence and have already been shipped to the port of Mombasa ahead of the journey.

Partnerships have been established with the PCAU and the Ugandan Ministry of Health. The ambulances will be officially handed over to hospices for use as mobile outreach palliative care clinics.

Irish social media star Garron Noone and businessperson Gareth Sheridan will both join the convoy and use their platforms to raise awareness of the cause.

HOW is inspired by the late Dr. Anne Merriman, the founder of Hospice Africa Uganda, whose work brought affordable pain relief and compassionate care to thousands of patients across the continent of Africa. She was born in Liverpool to Irish parents and completed her medical training in Dublin. She died last year aged 90.

The HOW volunteer group has a fundraising target of €500,000 to complement the ambulance convoy. TikTok star said Garron Noone said: “I’m incredibly proud to be part of the HOW convoy. I am delighted to support this cause and encourage others to support it.” 

HOW Chair Tom Doyle said: “This convoy is about more than delivering ambulances. It’s about delivering pain relief, dignity, comfort, and care to people at the most vulnerable time in their lives. With Garron, Gareth and Cllr Moran joining us, and dedicated volunteers from all over Ireland, we hope to shine a light on the incredible work being done on the ground and inspire even greater support.”