ACCESS to healthcare services is considered critical, hence ensuring the well-being of citizens is the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s goal.
As rural residents often encounter barriers to healthcare services that limit their ability to obtain the care they need, Amai Mnangagwa is working flat out through her Angel of Hope Foundation to bridge the gap and see to it that they access quality healthcare just like urbanites.
Dr Mnangagwa who is also the country’s health ambassador, has been extremely supportive in strengthening the country’s efforts to provide quality, affordable and accessible health care services for all.
She is a hard worker, women’s champion and her deep passion to assist Zimbabweans in their most difficult moments and empowerment of women and girls, runs in her veins.
She is an angel of hope that is touching lives and embracing everyone with equal attention and love.
Two years ago, using her personal savings, she built a health post in her birth place of Chiweshe offering outpatient, maternal and child health services.
She named it after her late mother, Maria Theresa.
The facility could not have come at a better time as villagers used to travel long distances to Rosa Hospital for health care services.
Part of her vision is to also have a waiting shelter for expecting mothers at the clinic.
Through her Angel of Hope Foundation’s partnership with her friend Mrs Jeannie Burns Buckner, Matter Foundation and Love for Africa, they built an ultra-modern hospital in Chisizya, Binga.
When the First Lady met with Mrs Buckner, Mr Quenton Marty and Mr Blessing Munyenyiwa in 2020, she humbly requested that a hospital be built through the partnership. The partners agreed and asked the First Lady to choose the location and she went for Binga.
In addition, she is currently building a hospital for mothers and children in Harare which is still under construction. All these projects demonstrate the First Lady’s love for mankind.
Her efforts and hands-on approach have not gone unnoticed with a South African based couple from Matabeleland Mr Brilliant Ncube and his wife Nobukhosi pledging to support the mother of nation in various areas among them extending Maria Theresa Clinic in a bid to de-congest the existing facilities and create room for a wider reach.
Mr Ncube commended the mother of the nation for affording rural communities sustainable and affordable health care solutions, a feat which he said, needed to be complemented.
“As an entrepreneur investing in our beautiful country Zimbabwe, together with my wife, we decided to support our mother, the First Lady in her philanthropic works and various other social responsibility programmes she is undertaking to transform lives.
“Having grown up in the rural side in Matabeleland, we have seen it fit to give her a helping hand especially in transforming the lives of rural communities. We have offered to expand her Maria Theresa clinic in Chiweshe so that it can be able to accommodate more people,” he said.
He added: “Rural communities often have more elderly residents who have health conditions requiring multiple visits to healthcare facilities, thus, the First Lady is working hard to make their lives easier. She is doing a lot for the people of Zimbabwe and she needs our support.”
His wife paid tribute to the First Lady for being an exemplary mother in saving lives, especially women and children.
“We have been following Amai’s works and we were touched. Today we decided to pay her a visit and appreciate her. She has been helping especially women, the girl child and all those in need. We really appreciate what Mhamha is doing through her foundation, therefore, we want to help her because we believe in sharing the little that we have.
“We visited the Maria Theresa clinic and we want to extend it and put all the needed equipment and beds as a way of saying thank you Mhamha. She is not just a mother but she is a loving and caring mother. Whenever she needs us, we will be available.
“Recently, when we visited our homestead in Lupane, a heavily pregnant woman knocked on our door seeking assistance. She wanted to be ferried to the nearest hospital as she was in labour. This also motivated us to help Amai, especially in the health sector, because she is bringing health services closer to the people,” she said. The First Lady works with everyone who wants to support her vision. She travels across the country accompanied by medical professionals to conduct medical outreach programmes using her foundation’s mobile clinic.
Hearald
Positive Eye News
