Hundreds of residents in the Macorrea community are receiving free medical treatment and health education through a health expo run by Harare City Centre Seventh-day Adventist Church, of the Zimbabwe East Union Conference, in partnership with Arundel Hospital. The outreach is being held alongside the ongoing Impact Mozambique evangelistic campaign.

Based at Macorrea Primary School, the expo attended to 150 people on its first day and is expected to serve at least 1,000 residents over three days. Arundel Hospital is providing curative healthcare services, while Centre of Hope is leading preventative health education as part of the holistic outreach.

The medical team includes four doctors, a dental specialist, a gynaecologist, a general surgeon and a physician, attending to a range of conditions affecting local residents.

Centre of Hope Director Pastor Nehemiah Phiri, who is also leading the Harare City Centre Church team in Manica, said the initiative aims to leave a lasting impact on the community beyond the evangelistic meetings.

The hope is to have an impact left in the community where one would say, since we have heard the word, I have been attended to in my health needs and physical needs, so that the individual is assisted holistically," he said.

Phiri said the programme seeks to combine humanitarian aid, health outreach, spiritual support, youth empowerment and sustainable community development.

"By combining resources, expertise, and a shared vision of service, we seek to bring hope to vulnerable communities, improve livelihoods, restore dignity, and positively impact lives both socially and spiritually," he said.

Dr David Chimuka, Clinical Director of Arundel Hospital in Harare, said the institution joined the programme as part of the church's mission of combining healthcare with gospel ministry.

"The Seventh-day Adventist Church really believes that health is the right hand of the gospel, and so wherever the church goes to spread the gospel, we want to be there," he said.

Preachers take care of the spirit; we take care of the ailments and the flesh part of the body, and that complements and makes the message go to the people in a better way."

Chimuka said the medical team has treated chronic illnesses, including hypertension and diabetes, as well as patients living with HIV-related conditions.

Mateu Sande, headmaster of Macorrea Primary School, where the expo is being held, expressed gratitude for the assistance being provided to the community.

He said the free treatment and medication would help many local residents who often struggle to access healthcare services. Residents waiting in queues for treatment also welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention bringing relief to many families.

The health outreach is part of a broader package of community projects rolled out alongside the Impact Mozambique campaign in Manica. These include the drilling and installation of five boreholes at schools and community centres, with an additional borehole pledged for the local prison. Senior citizens in the community have received food hampers, and hundreds of pairs of shoes are set to be produced and distributed to children.

The outreach and community development projects were carried out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in partnership with Corporate Chaplaincy Services, with support from the Bridging Gaps Foundation.