This project addresses the need to enhance palliative care (PC) in South Africa by establishing Compassionate Communities of Care (CCCs), focusing on community-led support for advanced illness patients. It leverages partnerships and lessons from local and international initiatives using a multistakeholder and -institutional approach. The project aims to establish CCCs and improve PC interactions between patients and service providers, resulting in improved quality of life and lower unplanned admissions; strengthen educational and capacity building among under- and postgraduate students; and improve evidence-informed decision-making for PC service delivery in local underserved populations. The project applies principles of community-based participatory research and integrated knowledge translation and focuses on community engagement, capacity development and sustainable collaboration, in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda and VLIR-UOS objectives..