Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
FOR 68-year-old Gogo Perpetual Sanyama, healthcare has for decades come at a cost measured not only in money, but in kilometres walked.
For most of her life in Nhamo village, Mhondoro-Mubaira, seeking medical attention meant embarking on a long journey to a health facility outside her community.
At times, the journey was simply too difficult.
And when walking was not an option, she and her 74-year-old husband, had to hire a cattle-drawn cart to take them to a health facility.
When Zimpapers visited Nhamo village recently, Gogo Sanyama’s husband had once again left home for Nyamweda Clinic, 15 kilometres away in search of health services.
It is a reality that has defined life for many families in the area, where some villagers travel as far as 15 kilometres to access medical services.
But after decades of living with the challenge, Gogo Sanyama now sees a different future.
Just a few kilometres away, the walls of Chakache Clinic are promising to bring healthcare to the doorstep of communities that have for years walked long distances for basic medical attention.
The facility in Ward 10 of Mhondoro-Mubaira Constituency in Chegutu Rural District Council is now complete and awaits commissioning. Once officially opened, it is expected to transform access to healthcare services for communities in the area.
For Gogo Sanyama, the development represents more than a new building.
It represents the possibility of growing old without having to endure exhausting journeys whenever she or her husband needs medical attention.
“The clinic will make a big difference to us because we have travelled long distances for many years whenever we needed treatment for different ailments,” she said.
The coming of Chakache Clinic is also expected to ease the burden on pregnant women, children and elderly residents, some of whom have struggled to reach distant health facilities in time.
Maponga village head Mr Forbes Mutandwa said the absence of a nearby health facility had at times carried tragic consequences.
“We have seen some expecting mothers lose their unborn babies as they sometimes fail to make it to the nearby clinics. The coming in of this facility is going to address these challenges,” he said.
The clinic is a product of community participation, with residents from Nhamo, Maponga and Munaku villages contributing labour, bricks, sand and stones towards its construction.
The initiative was complemented by Ward 10 councillor and benefactor Cde Ignatious Gavaza, who provided funding, building materials and artisans.
Chegutu Rural District Council also chipped in with roofing materials, while the councillor has committed to constructing two additional staff houses.
Cde Gavaza said the project was born from a commitment he made to residents during the 2023 harmonised elections.
“During the 2023 harmonised elections, I promised to construct a clinic in this area after having noticed how critical it was,” he said.
“As a councillor for this ward, I bankrolled the works with funds, artisans and some of the building material for the clinic and the staff quarters.”
But Chakache Clinic is only one part of the development story unfolding in the area.
Cde Gavaza has made it a point to invest in other community infrastructure, including the transformation of clinics and schools, reflecting a broader push to improve basic services in communities that have historically struggled to access them.
About three kilometres west of Chakache Clinic, at his homestead, another unusual community intervention is taking shape.
There, Cde Gavaza has installed Starlink internet and opened it up for free use by villagers.
For residents, the service is bringing the digital world closer to a rural community where reliable internet access has long been a challenge.
The interventions point to a model in which development is no longer viewed solely as the responsibility of Government, but as a partnership involving communities, local authorities and individuals willing to invest in their communities.
At Chakache, that partnership is visible in every stage of construction.
Villagers who once travelled kilometres for healthcare have contributed their labour and resources to building the very facility that will serve them.
Maponga village, which has about 180 households, has been among those actively involved, while Munaku has more than 150 households.
Nhamo village head Ms Perseverance Nhamo and Munaku village leadership said the project was bringing development closer to communities that had waited for years for improved services.
For Chegutu RDC, Chakache is part of a wider programme to improve healthcare infrastructure across the district.
Council social services manager Mr Tawanda Kangai said five clinics were currently under construction, while existing facilities were also being upgraded.
“We have five clinics under construction in the area, and the council is ensuring that the existing ones are also going under major upgrades.
“Our clinics provide all the major and critical services,” he said.
Back in Nhamo, the completion of Chakache Clinic is being watched with anticipation.
For Gogo Sanyama, the significance is deeply personal.
For decades, healthcare has meant walking, waiting and, when possible, hiring a cattle-drawn cart. Soon, that journey could become a thing of the past.
