Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Health Reporter
ELDERLY apostolic sect members battling chronic illnesses in Mafararikwa recently received free medication from the union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA).
The faith-based organisation is working to reduce barriers to treatment by bringing healthcare closer to rural communities.
The intervention targets patients battling conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, with each beneficiary receiving a six-month supply of medication.
UDACIZA provincial chairperson, Reverend Prosper Sithole said the initiative complements Government’s push under Vision 2030 to achieve universal health coverage and make healthcare more accessible, particularly to marginalised groups.
“By delivering services directly to communities and addressing, both medical and socio-economic needs, we are supporting the national goal of leaving no one and no place behind,” he said.
While the focus is largely on members of apostolic sects, the organisation is also assisting other vulnerable community members in need.
“The initiative was meant to change attitudes within the sects, while ensuring that no one was left behind when it came to accessing health services.
“We are on a drive to help apostolic sect members who are usually reluctant to access health services and to raise awareness on the importance of seeking medical help. We are donating medication to chronic illness patients, especially the elderly and women. While our main target is apostolic sect members, we are also giving to anyone who is in need. We have already covered Buhera, Makoni, and Mutare districts, including Mafararikwa in Marange, which is a stronghold for apostolic believers,” he said.
Reverend Sithole said poverty was one of the main reasons why many people, particularly the elderly, were unable to buy medicine or travel to health facilities.
“Some of our people do not even have transport fare to clinics, so we are going to their homes and delivering the medication.
Apostolic sects are well known for shunning medical help, but our approach is changing that,” he said.
While donating the medication, UDACIZA is also educating members on the importance of seeking medical help and addressing youth challenges within apostolic communities, especially drug and substance abuse.
“As we give medicine to the elderly, we are also educating our young people about the dangers of drugs. We want them to understand that their lives matter and that they should not destroy their future with harmful substances,” he said. The organisation has also launched income-generating projects to improve nutrition and livelihoods in apostolic communities, ensuring that patients are not only given medication but also have food to complement it.
“You can give a person medication, but if they have not eaten, the medicine will not help them. This is why we are constructing fish ponds and introducing aquaculture projects. Fish provide protein, which helps patients take their medication properly. We are also starting poultry projects so that families can eat and sell to earn a living,” said Reverend Sithole.
Reverend Sithole said the combination of medication distribution, health education, and livelihood projects is reshaping how apostolic sect members view healthcare.
“We are not doing this to undermine faith, but to reinforce it with practical solutions. We are saying to our members, yes, we can pray, but there are also diseases that need medical intervention. God has given us medicine and doctors for a reason, and our health is precious,” he said, adding that the programme has already changed lives in Buhera, Makoni, and Mutare districts, and plans are underway to expand to other parts of the province.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Chengetai Machona, a hypertension patient from Mafararikwa, said receiving free medicine at door-step eased her struggles.
“I mostly depend only on prayers because I sometimes go for months without taking my blood pressure tablets because I cannot afford them. I am happy that I have been given a six-month supply right at my doorstep for free. This has lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders, and I am grateful because I no longer have to choose between buying food and medicine,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Mr John Mutema, of Tanda in Makoni, also welcomed the programme.
“I used to walk long distances to clinics and sometimes came back empty-handed when the drugs were out of stock. What UDACIZA is doing is life-saving. This shows that even people like us in the villages are being remembered. I now believe that combining prayer and medicine is the way forward,” he said.
