HEALTH

Our Approach to Health

At HOCIC, we believe that health is the foundation upon which families, communities, and futures are built. For nearly three decades, we have worked alongside the Ministry of Health and Child Care, local and international partners, and community structures to strengthen health systems and bring quality care closer to the people who need it most.

Our health programming is rooted in the realities of the communities we serve. The greater Matabeleland Region carries a disproportionate burden of disease, with HIV prevalence rates of 17.4% to 20% — well above the national average of 15%. Recurrent droughts, economic hardship, and distance from health facilities further compound the challenges faced by vulnerable households. We design our interventions to meet these realities head-on.

What We Focus On

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

We work to increase knowledge, access, and uptake of HIV and SRHR services among women, girls, young people, and persons with disabilities. Through community dialogues, awareness campaigns, and the establishment of Self Help Groups, we create safe spaces where individuals can access information and services — from family planning and STI screening to cervical and breast cancer education, PMTCT, and treatment literacy.

HIV Treatment and Adherence

We support the Ministry of Health and Child Care to accelerate access to care and treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV. Our work strengthens community-level identification and enrolment, supports adherence and psychosocial needs, and helps decentralize services so that treatment is available closer to home.

Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health

We prioritize the health of mothers, babies, and young people. Our programmes support the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, early infant diagnosis, and the integration of paediatric HIV care into primary health facilities. We also work to ensure that malnourished children receive the care and nutrition they need to recover and thrive.

Nutrition and Food Security

Good health begins with good nutrition. We respond to moderate acute malnutrition during peak hunger periods, distributing food supplements, counselling caregivers on balanced diets, and working with health facilities to track and treat affected children. Our lean season interventions ensure that vulnerable households can afford at least three meals a day while they work to rebuild their livelihoods.

Community Health Systems Strengthening

We invest in the people who make health work at the community level. By training village health workers, supporting self-help groups, and building the capacity of local health facilities, we help create systems that can identify, refer, and support individuals long after a programme ends. We also advocate with duty bearers to address the structural barriers — like distance and transport costs — that keep people from accessing care.

How We Work

Our health programmes are built on partnership. We collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, World Food Program, Oxfam, World Education Inc, and other partners to deliver integrated, evidence-based interventions. We combine service delivery with capacity building, advocacy, and community mobilization — because lasting change requires more than just providing services. It requires empowering communities to demand and sustain their own health.

We are guided by our 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, which positions Public Health as one of five thematic pillars. Our health work is inseparable from our commitments to child protection, women’s empowerment, food security, and youth development — because health does not exist in isolation. It is woven into every aspect of a person’s life.

Our Impact

Over the years, HOCIC has reached over half a million people with programmes that address HIV prevention and treatment, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, and community health systems. We have formed dozens of Self Help Groups, supported thousands of children and caregivers, and helped strengthen the capacity of health facilities across Matabeleland.

But the numbers tell only part of the story. The real measure of our work is in the lives changed — the child who receives treatment and grows into adulthood, the mother who learns how to keep herself and her baby healthy, the young woman who gains the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices about her body and her future.

PROJECTS UNDER HEALTH