BY STYLE REPORTER
Medical players under the Medical and Dental Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association (MDPPZA) banner have reaffirmed their commitment to providing free medical services to vulnerable group as part of their corporate social responsibility.
MDPPZA president Johannes Marisa made these remarks at Kudakwashe Children’s Care Centre in Stoneridge, Harare where the association was donating food and non-food items last Wednesday.
Marisa said apart from donating food and non-food items, MDPPZA was commiting itself to providing free medical services to vulnerable groups including senior citizens, people with disabilities and orphans.
Kudakwashe Children’s Care Centre is home to 28 children, mostly with disabilities.
“We have brought food and non food items as part of our corporate social responsibility as a group of private doctors, nurses, dentists, scientists and many other medical professionals,” said Marisa.
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“However, our donation does not end on these items. We are committing ourselves to render free medical services to all of you here.
“We are health experts and we will soon mobilise ourselves to see how best we can chip in and help those who would have fallen sick here.”
Marisa said seeking medical help was expensive and rendering free medical service to Kudakwashe Children’s Care Centre would help ease the centre’s financial burden.
He said the children’s centre needed more help and would soon engage with other members of MDPPZA to see how best they could help.
“I heard you are doing the best from the little that you have, but we believe we can still come back and assist, especially with wheelchairs.
“There is a shortage of wheelchairs here and something should be done urgently.”
Kudakwashe Children’s Care Centre founder and director Rachel Ziki said the centre was facing a plethora of challenges.
“This centre is home 28 and five caregivers, orphans and vulnerable children inclusive of those living with disabilities on wheelchairs, bed- ridden (paralysed) and deaf or hearing impaired,” she said.
“There are 16 children attending formal primary education and 11 at secondary education level.
“However, we face a lot of challenges chief being lack of wheelchairs and mobility aids. Most of our children here as you can see cannot walk.”
Ziki, who is popularly referred to as Aunty Rachel, said love and passion were driving the centre coupled by the benevolence of individuals.
She said children at the centre were drawn from all corners of the country,
“This centre caters for children from across the country and most of the children would have been rejected by either their father or mother because of their conditions,” she said.
“We can get a call from Mt Darwin or anywhere in Zimbabwe that they have a child with disability and we go there. Sometimes we engage the parents and try to counsel them, but in most cases the parents would reject their child and we have no choice, but to bring them here.”
Ziki said she turned her home into a care centre after the death of her husband. She used part of her husband’s pension to establish the centre with the help of her two children.
“We all live here as a family. What these children eat is what I eat,” she said.
“Where these children sleep is where I sleep. I don’t have that special bedroom.”
She said Kudakwashe Children’s Care Centre was a registered trust with the Deeds Office and an ongoing registration to be a private voluntary organisation is underway with the Ministry of Social Welfare.
The centre was established in 2015.
Muduvuri Rehabilitation Foundation (Murefu), an organisation that takes care of people with disability and founded by Kadoma businessman Jimaya Muduvuri, partnered with MDPPZA.
“We are pleased as Murefu to be part of this noble cause,” said Murefu information and publicist Nyasha Nhau.
“We came here to support you after the founder Mr. Jimaya Muduvuri, who also has a disability, felt that these children need to be supported.
“Murefu is working with a MDPPZA on a number of activities which seek to improve the lives of people.”
Marisa said MDPPZA has helped Murefu establish a hospital in Kadoma.
“We have came a long way with Mr. Muduvuri and I want to tell you that he is building an 850-bed hospital in Kadoma with a section that takes care of people with disability from all over the country,” Marisa said.
“Some members of the MDPPZA are assisting with the technical expertise at the hospital.”
MDPPZA members, including spine and brain surgeon Serge Eddy Mba, veteran nurse and MDPPZA fundraising coordinator Veronica Zimunhu and Dr Owen Chanetsa were part of the proceedings.
Part of the money was raised at a fundraising dinner that the MDPPZA held early last month.