By Aldridge Dzvene | Positive Eye News
In a profound act of humanitarian diplomacy, the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye, in partnership with IgEL Charity, has extended a transformative donation to St. Giles Medical Rehabilitation Centre, strengthening disability inclusion efforts in Zimbabwe and deepening Türkiye’s commitment to global social support.
The donation, which included three paediatric wheelchairs, two adult wheelchairs, five pairs of crutches, two paediatric walking frames, and two adult walking frames, was formally handed over on Friday during a symbolic visit to St. Giles by the Turkish delegation. The event was attended by Sultan Okatar, Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye, along with St. Giles management. The donated equipment has already been deployed to assist children in the hostel and patients undergoing rehabilitation at the centre.
“This is a deeply appreciated gesture,” said the management team at St. Giles. “The Turkish Embassy and IgEL Charity did not only bring equipment, they brought dignity and independence to people living with disabilities. We were especially honoured to host them for a tour and to have such fruitful engagement.”
The initiative marks Türkiye’s first direct donation to St. Giles, but both parties expressed a mutual desire for future collaboration, with the Embassy signalling its satisfaction with the services provided at the institution. For St. Giles, this relationship is more than symbolic, it reflects an evolving approach to sustainable, inclusive rehabilitation and community development.
Looking to the future, the centre is now working on a self-sustaining development project aimed at generating revenue while empowering people with disabilities economically. Though still at proposal stage, the planned five-year project aims to make St. Giles less reliant on donations and more capable of providing sustainable livelihoods for patients and residents.
“This is more than a project; it is a declaration of intent, to move people with disabilities from the margins of dependence to the centre of self-sufficiency,” said a senior official at the centre. “This aligns with our mission to rehabilitate not just bodies, but lives.”
The impact of such a donation also reverberates at a broader level. In a country where economic pressure and inequality disproportionately affect people with disabilities, international partnerships like these underscore the role of diplomacy in building inclusive public health systems and promoting developmental justice.
Türkiye’s donation through IgEL Charity is also a reflection of its principled foreign policy, one that emphasizes compassion, solidarity, and empowerment. It is a model of humanitarian cooperation that goes beyond emergency relief, investing in long-term transformation and dignity-based development.
As Zimbabwe moves towards Vision 2030, this initiative speaks to the national goal of “leaving no one and no place behind.” St. Giles, a cornerstone of rehabilitation care, continues to evolve from a care institution into a beacon of inclusive growth, and Türkiye has now become part of that journey.
“We are proud to welcome this partnership,” St. Giles said. “We are also calling on other embassies, organisations, and local partners to follow suit, because when we stand together, we rise together.”
Indeed, this may be the beginning of a much larger story, where kindness crosses borders, and where partnerships reshape futures.
