OFFICE:
We are based at the Connexional office, 17 Selous avenue, corner 3rd street in Harare. The National office at the moment comprises of the National Coordinator, the Programme Assistant and Student Interns.
The national HSS Coordinator: Mr. TE Tanyanyiwa
Major programs in the department
- The support to civil society organisations project: this is one of our HIV prevention projects that we implement jointly with Africare, EFZ and UDACIZA. We have been implementing this project since 2008 with financial assistance from the CDC. We have done trainings in various aspects of life where HIV can be prevented from for example the family, gender issues, contextual Bible study, Behaviour Change and pastors. We have also scaled up on Community and Home Based Care training and practice including the provision of kits, support group formation and improved support for People Living with HIV AIDS. We have also scaled up on Peer Education programs with a particular emphasis on entrepreneurship.
- Epworth- MSF ART program: Medecines Sans Frontiers (Holland) opened up an anti retro viral program at our Epworth clinic where services are donor funded and attract very little payment from beneficiaries, from the baseline tests to the ARVs themselves.
- Church funded trainings: the Connexional office affords the department the chance to conduct trainings in every district at least once per year. Districts can look up our visiting dates from the connexional calendar
- Public health provision: we also ensure that that the mission clinics and all other health facilities belonging to the church are providing the optimum services to improve the quality of life for God’s people. The functional clinics currently include Epworth, Pakame, Waddilove and Sandringham. We continue to encourage all mission centres to establish health facilities for improved access to health for the people.
Health and Social Services
Methodist Church had been running health institutions since the second decade of the twentieth century. These had been at Kwenda Mission and Waddilove Institute. The development of mission centers in colonial Zimbabwe heralded an era then of free health, education, supplementary feeding and the word of God. The two centers are famous for nurse training. In the MCZ, health is a priority that’s why MeDRA and MRCH are also dealing with it.
The development of health services in the MCZ of late have been slow because it has taken a reactive approach, where the Church only becomes active because there has been a calamity that needs it to act. The first case of HIV infection in Zimbabwe was discovered in the early 1980s. When it was publicized, the church was never perturbed and paid a blind eye and a deaf ear. One and a half decades later, HIV now a pandemic had destroyed all and sundry, including the church but still the hear no evil, see no evil mentality prevailed.
MCZ is one of the churches that established a department that caters for health services. The department was formed in the year 2000 as the HIV AIDS unit. The department has the mandate to implement all health programs incorporating awareness and education on diseases prevention, mitigation and care.
The church owns a number of functional clinics that provide a wide array of services to the community. The services provided range from primary health care, HIV testing and counselling, maternity and Mother to child health. The church has been able to resource mobilize for health issues. There have been numerous partnerships established with donors to seek for funds and materials to assist in the health programs. Over the years we have worked with the Centers for Disease control, Africare, World Vision, Hospaz and many government and UN agencies.
The Health and Social Services Coordinator, Mr. T.E Tanyanyiwa, on behalf of HSS office staff, nurses and support staff for Epworth mission clinic, Pakame mission clinic, Sandringham mission clinic and Waddiliove clinic would like to congratulate the Presiding Bishop Reverend Amos Ndhlumbi and the entire Methodist family on this momentous occasion. Congratulations for reaching the 120 year milestone of distinguished evangelistic service to the nation.
We assure you that your health is our priority.