St. Werburgh’s School and Clinic rests in the rural areas surrounding Portland’s Sister City, Mutare, Zimbabwe. They are located on Chigodora Zimunya Communal Lands that are owned by the Anglican Church. In recent years this agricultural community has suffered from drought and overwhelming lack of resources. Approximately 1 in 3 adults in the community are estimated to be HIV positive.
Clinic
Until tribal elders, school representatives and church officials solicited help from their sister city, the nearest primary health care facility was over 20 miles away. The community had been trying to build a clinic for over 40 years when Africa AIDS Response (AAR) provided financial assistance to build the St. Werburgh’s clinic in 2000. It now provides primary healthcare services to adults and children with malaria, TB and HIV related infections. In their first month of operation in 2004, over 900 patients from the community were seen by two government sponsored nurses for basic services, maternal-child health and health education. AAR also funds home-based hospice care as part of the clinic outreach.
School/Orphan Support
In addition to clinic support, AAR supports school based programs to assist children affected by HIV. Currently, 44% of the 882 students attending St. Werburgh’s primary school are orphans with the school and extended family members as their main source of support. Since 2000, PMSCA has worked with community members to fund a program for orphans and vulnerable children that provides food security, school fees, clothes, uniforms.
Basic Needs
AAR also works to increase community infrastructure so the people can better handle health and environmental challenges as they arise while providing lasting support to those affected by HIV. This has included the rebuilding of the community well, a waiting mother’s shelter.
Other recent/ongoing Projects Funded
- Community Well
- Pregnant Mother’s Shelter
- Nurses’ Kitchen
- Phones
- Clinic Supplies and medication fund
- Bicycles for hospice visits and communication within the village
- Vehicle used as ambulance transport sick patients from the clinic, to the city hospital
- Laptop computer to store clinic records
- Heaters for the clinic
Visit our Photo Gallery to see more of St. Werburgh's Community and Clinic.