Over the last several years, health outreach programmes in Zimbabwe have significantly improved healthcare accessibility, particularly in rural areas. The government of Zimbabwe has collaborated with partners to provide essential services like health education, routine immunisations and family-health services directly to communities, reducing the need for long-distance travel to healthcare facilities.
Still, the health system faces challenges like shortages of health staff, inconsistent supply of medicines and insufficient access to health facilities, and the people of Zimbabwe are in need of health support and community health outreach. In northern Zimbabwe’s rural Kariba district, access to essential healthcare services is a challenge for most of the population.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe is grappling with severe challenges from El Niño-induced drought, which has significantly affected food security, nutrition and access to healthcare services, particularly for children under 5. Malnutrition remains a critical public health concern in the country. Nearly one in three children is malnourished, with high rates of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. These issues are especially pronounced among young children, who are most vulnerable to the long-term effects of poor nutrition.
In response to the El Niño-induced drought and its devastating impact on food security and child health, International Medical Corps, with support from the European Union (EU) and in partnership with Action Contre LaFaim, Nutrition Action Zimbabwe and Musasa, is implementing a 12-month project titled, “Zimbabwe El-Niño Emergency Response” (ZEER) to make lifesaving health services accessible to remote communities affected by the drought.
“This outreach programme saved my childs life.”
— Forget Suche
Forget Suche, a 20-year-old woman, lives with her 10-month-old boy, Tadiwanashe Manope, in her parents’ home in Guyu village, Kariba district. To reach the nearest clinic, Kasvisva Rural Health Centre, Forget must walk 12 kilometres with Tadiwanashe on her back. The route to the clinic through Kasvisva ward shares a boundary with Matusadhona National Park, and instances of human-wildlife conflict along the route are rampant. Wild animals like elephants and lions from the park encroach on people’s fields and kraals (enclosures for livestock), and people must travel during daylight hours and in groups when going to the health centre or bus stops along the route.
With these challenges and restrictions, Forget was struggling to visit the health centre for regular scheduled visits. Her child missed the nine-month immunisation schedule, among other health services. Nearly all Forget’s neighbours in Guyu village face similar challenges.
On 14 April 2025, a Village Health Worker (VHW) informed Forget of the International Medical Corps-supported mobile outreach clinic, where health staff from our team and Kasvisva health centre were providing growth monitoring and malnutrition screening for children under 5 as part of the ZEER initiative. The clinic staff screened Tadiwanashe, found that he was experiencing moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and referred him to Kasvisva clinic for treatment.
Due to the long distance and other challenges, Forget was unable to reach the clinic with Tadiwanashe for their appointment. The next month, the outreach team visited Forget at her parents’ home. The team reassessed Tadiwanashe and found that he was still experiencing MAM. Our staff immediately enrolled Tadiwanashe in the community nutrition programme and provided Forget with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) with instructions to give the child one packet daily. Our team also provided her with education on health, nutrition and hygiene.
Today, Tadiwanashe is responding positively to treatment and continues to receive follow-up care from our outreach team. His nutritional status is improving, and the mobile team continues to monitor his recovery to ensure full rehabilitation.
“The outreach programme helped save my child’s life,” Forget says. “Without the follow-up visit, I would not have been able to get the treatment he needed. I now understand how to feed him properly and keep him healthy. On behalf of the women of Guyu village,” Forget says, “I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the effort to assist our community with health services. Active screening for malnutrition, immunisations and early treatment of childhood illnesses is the gateway to a healthy future generation.”
