Vusumuzi Dube
Blessed Moyo, Sunday News Reporter
AFTER years of walking long distances for basic healthcare services, villagers of Tjutshume in Bulilima District have come together to construct a state-of-the-art clinic aimed at bringing vital medical care closer home.
The community has united to donate money, cement and labour to build a new clinic significantly reducing the travel distance that they are currently enduring to access healthcare.
In an interview with Sunday News, Mrs Nomsa Dube, Vice Secretary of the Tjutshume Clinic Committee, expressed her concern over the painful situation of trekking long distances for basic healthcare that had tarried with them over the years saying it was the motivation behind the collaborative effort.
“We initiated this project as a community to build a clinic because we’ve endured difficulties in accessing medical care. For many, walking to the nearest clinic is not feasible when they are unwell, so we decided to unite and build our healthcare facility,” said Mrs Dube.
She highlighted that their nearest clinic is located in Hingwe, over 10 kilometres away, while another rural clinic in Mbimba is even further from their community.
“We began construction last year. The community agreed that each household would donate at least 500 rand to purchase cement and support the construction of our facility,” Mrs Dube explained.
She noted that it has been challenging for everyone to contribute due to various pressing issues, including the ongoing El Niño-induced drought affecting their area and the country as a whole.
Mrs Dube said after their plan received approval from the rural district council, the community started digging the foundation for the clinic.
“The rural council approved our plan and allowed us to build the clinic at a location called Bhambadzi in Ward 10,” said Mrs Dube.
After completing the foundation digging, the residents managed to purchase 60 bags of cement from Botswana with their donations, which they then used to mold bricks. They initially focused on constructing the clinic’s toilet, but the first batch of bricks ran out.
Fortunately, a community member, currently residing in South Africa, inspired by the community’s spirit, donated 100 bags of cement to aid in the construction.
“One of our community members, Banele Moyo, generously donated 100 bags of cement that we used to lay the foundation of the structure and to mould more bricks,” Mrs Dube said.
She said it was both a challenging and uplifting time for Tjutshume villagers where they had to fetch water from a borehole located some distance away, often balancing buckets on their heads as they continued the clinic’s construction.
The Government has also contributed by donating 100 bags of cement to support the villagers in constructing the clinic.
Mrs Dube expressed gratitude for this support but emphasised the need for additional assistance. The community aims to complete the clinic’s construction before the next rainy season.
“We hope to secure the necessary resources to finish building the clinic before the upcoming rains disrupt our progress. We’re also seeking more contributions from community members and well-wishers. We’ve already received promises of additional bags from Banele Moyo and others,” said Mrs Dube.
She added that they were also drawing inspiration from President Mnangagwa’s nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo instructive philosophy.
Online Reporter