King David United Methodist Youth fellowship members outside Victoria Chitepo Hospital participating in a cleanup campaign and advocacy visit to highlight the need for accessible and equitable health care in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. Photo courtesy of Tafadzwa Chikawa
General Board of Church and Society | July 22, 2025
A commentary by Tafadzwa Chikawa, a recent graduate of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, and a 2025 Board of Church and Society Intern. Chikawa provides his final article in a three-part series on social justice concerns in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
MUTARE, Zimbabwe — Earlier this year, as part of our faith-led mission to promote dignity and justice in healthcare, the King David United Methodist Youth fellowship of Zimbabwe visited Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital in Mutare, the largest public referral hospital in Manicaland Province.
During the visit, our team of young people participated in a cleanup campaign around the hospital grounds, removing litter, clearing walkways, and restoring a sense of dignity to an overstretched facility.
We also donated essential items such as gloves, blankets, soap, and other supplies. Though small in material value, these contributions were deeply symbolic of our love, compassion, and solidarity with the suffering.
Our interactions with patients and staff gave us a window into the everyday struggles of Zimbabwe’s public health system. A system that is burdened by chronic shortages of staff, medication, and essential equipment.
The Reality of Healthcare in Manicaland, Zimbabwe
In rural and marginalized communities across Manicaland:
- Many residents travel over 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) to access the nearest clinic.
- Patients are often required to pay for medical supplies, tests, or surgeries — costs that most cannot afford.
- Expectant mothers and people living with chronic conditions like HIV and diabetes often suffer in silence.
Moving from Service to Advocacy
After we served at the hospital, we left with a deep conviction: Our calling as Christian youth must go beyond acts of charity and into the work of advocacy and justice.
“We affirm health care as a basic human right and vow to work toward expanded access to all forms of medical treatment, including preventative, therapeutic, and palliative care. Half the world’s population lack access to health care, and a growing number of people who do have access face increased medical expenses for themselves or their loved ones, pushing them toward poverty. To confront these painful realities, we urge United Methodists to join efforts aimed at creating systems that provide comprehensive health protections for all.” The United Methodist 2025-2028 Social Principles, The Political Community, Basic Rights and Feedoms, A., Healthcare
Youth-led Advocacy: A Vision for Systemic Change
Our visit to Victoria Chitepo Hospital was more than a one-day event. It was a turning point that deepened our commitment to justice and planted a vision of a better healthcare future for all Zimbabweans. As United Methodists, we believe the Church has a unique role to play in turning this vision into reality.
While the United Methodist Church operates key mission hospitals like Old Mutare and Mutambara Mission Hospitals, much more is still needed. Our collective witness as a church must press for a system where every person can access free, quality, and dignified healthcare, regardless of where they live or how much they earn.
A Call For Action
Through its bishops, conferences, congregations, and agencies, The United Methodist Church can use its prophetic voice to speak out on healthcare policy and mobilize the Church for action:
- Advocate for universal, free public healthcare
- Push for more funding for rural health services and infrastructure
- Demand fair wages and training support for doctors and nurses
- Challenge the removal of user fees that exclude the poor from care
- Equip and empower youth for healthcare advocacy work
- Support youth-led training, projects like quarterly clean-ups, health awareness campaigns, and school outreach in marginalized areas
Through our conviction, vision and faith in action, we must work together with a focused sense of urgency and create a fair, just and sustainable healthcare system that meets the needs of all Zimbabweans.
Tafadzwa Chikawa
Tafadzwa Chikawa is a recent graduate of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe (June 2025) earning a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (with Honors).
Growing up in Mutare, he learned early on the value of community. At Hartzell High School, Tafadzwa served as Vice President of the Leo Club, leading donation drives for orphanages and senior homes. Through his involvement with King David United Methodist Church in the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference, he held various leadership roles in the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, including Secretary and Vice President.
Serving in the Ethnic Young Adult Internship Program at the General Board of Church and Society, Tafadzwa is planning to grow as a communicator, advocate, and servant leader, creating meaningful change in both the church and society.
Read his other two articles in this series: