Staff Writer
MUSIKAVANHU — NetOne is redefining community empowerment through its Vadhumeni Vehutano initiative, leveraging connectivity to deliver healthcare and create sustainable livelihoods for local health ambassadors.
Launched under the NetOne at 30 Medical Outreach and Telemedicine Programme, the initiative has brought free medical screenings, consultations, and medicines to Musikavanhu residents, while telemedicine services now connect the community to healthcare professionals beyond the reach of local clinics.
Speaking during the programme, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Angeline Gata, applauded NetOne for using technology to address community needs while empowering people at grassroots level.
The Vadhumeni Vehutano will become a critical link between healthcare services and the Musikavanhu community.
Working within their communities, the health ambassadors will go door to door, conducting basic health checks, educating families on health and wellness, identifying potential health concerns and guiding residents towards appropriate medical care.
NetOne handed over 10 bicycles, blood pressure (BP) machines and glucometers to support the Vadhumeni Vehutano in taking healthcare directly to households across the community.
The equipment will enable the health ambassadors to conduct basic screenings and identify potential health concerns at community level.
Where necessary, patients can be referred to health facilities or connected to healthcare professionals through telemedicine, ensuring that technology becomes a bridge between communities and the healthcare services they need.
But the initiative goes beyond healthcare.
Through OneMoney, the Vadhumeni Vehutano are also being empowered with an additional source of income as OneMoney agents, creating an opportunity for them to earn a livelihood while providing an essential financial service within their communities.
This dual-purpose model positions the Vadhumeni Vehutano as both community health champions and digital financial service enablers, demonstrating how connectivity can simultaneously address social and economic needs.
Delivering remarks on behalf of NetOne, Public Relations Manager Mr. Ernest Magadzire said the initiative reflects the company’s broader vision for the next chapter of its 30-year journey.
“At NetOne, we believe empowerment must go hand in hand with connectivity.
The Vadhumeni Vehutano model allows us to use technology to improve access to healthcare while creating opportunities for people within communities to earn a livelihood and serve their communities. This is meaningful connectivity in action.”
He said the initiative demonstrates how NetOne’s core business can be leveraged to create impact beyond telecommunications.
“We are not simply building networks; we are building bridges. A bridge to healthcare, a bridge to financial inclusion and a bridge to opportunity. When a Vadhumeni Vehutano walks into a household, provides health education, conducts a basic screening and can also provide access to financial services, connectivity is no longer an abstract concept — it is improving lives.”
The programme builds on the vision of Her Excellency, the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Patron of Health, whose advocacy for virtual healthcare continues to champion greater access to health services for communities, particularly those that are geographically disadvantaged.
It also advances the aspirations of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, which seeks an empowered, inclusive and prosperous Zimbabwe driven by technology and innovation.
The initiative is being implemented with the support of ZimSmart Villages, demonstrating the value of partnerships in developing solutions that respond to the realities of rural communities.
For Musikavanhu, the impact of Vadhumeni Vehutano is both immediate and long-term: healthier communities, greater health awareness, improved access to healthcare and new economic opportunities for local people.
As NetOne celebrates 30 years of connecting Zimbabwe, the Vadhumeni Vehutano model captures the company’s evolving purpose — using connectivity to empower people, strengthen communities and turn technology into a tool for healthier and more prosperous lives.
NetOne at 30 — Connecting People. Empowering Communities. Transforming Lives.
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