Friends of Karanda Mission Hospital on Friday 15 August 2025 hosted a fundraising program (BBQ for hope braai), an event meant to mobilize resources that would be channeled to improve service delivery at the hospital.
The fundraising event aimed at raising USD$78 400 which would be used to buy the ECG machine, install solar water geysers and to acquire an outreach vehicle.
In an exclusive interview with ZimGospel magazine, Dr. Thistle an expert at the hospital expressed that the ECG machine is expected to boost the operations mainly by improving screening processes for those with heart problems while the vehicle will be used for mobile healthcare service delivery and help the staff to reach remote places.
“I am so excited as an expert about this event. As one of the best hospitals in the country, our mandate is to provide affordable and best healthcare services. Currently we are limited in a way by the absence of an ECG machine and a mobile vehicle: we are not effectively doing heart tests and moving into the hard-to-reach areas is a challenge.
“Once we have the ECG machine it means all heart tests are going to be done exceptionally and this will help us as a hospital to treat patients rightfully. So, i want to applaud the Friends of Karanda Mission Hospital for such a noble thing, it is a major relief to us,” he said.
Speaking on the same occasion as the guest of honor, Mrs Abigail Dahwa who is the former board chairperson of Friends of Karanda Mission Hospital said that they remain resolute in standing with the hospital towards making sure that there is the provision of sustainable health-care services.
“We are the people who should stand with our institution. We value every contribution that you make to our hospital. As friends of Karanda Mission Hospital we remain firm to mobilize resources knowing that it is a hub where many people including the underprivileged members of the community get help through affordable rates.
“My word to all the partners is that, let us continue with the same spirit of excellence and to all those who might want to become part of us, feel free to do so,” she said.
Meanwhile Friends of Karanda Mission Hospital co-executive founder Mwandibhuya Mutepfa vowed their unwavering support for the institution saying that they are determined to make it a world class institution.
“Friends of Karanda Mission Hospital was formed with a team of passionate people with some of them living in diaspora, with the mission of helping the underprivileged. It is our greatest desire to see the institution having adequate resources that it requires for its operations.
“We also want to ensure that Zimbabweans get help from Karanda, no one should be turned back for lack of resources, so i am calling to all friends and sponsors that let us make Karanda hospital number one in Zimbabwe and beyond.
“We are still inviting for more partners to come and join us as we thrive to ensure sustainability of the hospital and to make it adapt to the modern changes that are also taking place,” he said.
One of the patients who shared her testimony during the event said “Indeed Karanda Mission Hospital is the best, they know their work very well. I went for an operation when I was nine years old, everything went on very well,” she said.
Karanda Mission Hospital was established in 1961 and is a 150-bed facility in a remote area of Northern Zimbabwe, near Mount Darwin. It was founded by The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) to address the healthcare needs of the surrounding mission stations and clinics. The hospital is operated in partnership with the Evangelical Church of Zimbabwe (ECZ). It provides a wide range of services, including surgical procedures, treatment for HIV/AIDS and TB, and maternity care.
It has a record of 200 to 300 outpatients per day,15 to 30 surgeries per day, with 4000 surgeries performed annually. It also offers a 3-year nursing training program.
