MILLICENT HUNGWE
One of the key health partners operating in Chiredzi, Zaka and Bikita districts of Masvingo Province, SolidarMed joined the rest of the globe in celebrating the annual World Health Day on April 7.
World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization which was formed in 1948, as well as other related organizations.
SolidarMed released a statement highlighting its commitment to promoting the health and well-being of children, particularly in rural and marginalized communities, emphasizing the importance of early childhood development (ECD) in securing a brighter future for children.
This year’s WHD will kick off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health. The campaign, titled Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, will urge governments and the health community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being.
Since 2015, SolidarMed has provided infant milk formula to 303 vulnerable children, In 2024, the organization launched the Leap Start ECD project, which focuses on nurturing care, including health, nutrition, safety, responsive caregiving, and early learning.
“The project has achieved remarkable results, including training 30 members of the District Food and Nutrition Committees and 182 Village Health Workers to support ECD efforts.
“SolidarMed has also improved nutritional support through various initiatives, reaching around 593 individuals through community campaigns,” said SolidarMed Project Manager Dr Cordelia Kunzekwenyika.
Some notable achievements include donating therapeutic feed ingredients to assist 20 malnourished children and supplying infant milk formula to 88 infants without access to breast milk.
The Midweek Watch has learnt that the organization has also made significant advancements in healthcare infrastructure, including donating an infant incubator to Chikombedzi Mission Hospital in Chiredzi and establishing an ECD play centre at Silveira Hospital in Bikita.
SolidarMed’s efforts have empowered children, parents, and communities, promoting healthy beginnings and hopeful futures.
As the organization commemorates WHD, it reaffirms its commitment to ensuring every child can grow, learn, and shape a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
