36 Village Health Workers trained, 24 community outreach programmes reaching over 38,000 people across 30 villages, an increase of 600% in antenatal care bookings during our flagship project period and 100% of the essential equipment delivered and in use to improve emergency obstetric care. These were the numbers the 2025/2026 outgoing Executive Committee presented to the Annual General Meeting held in Geneva on the 20th of June 2026.
Held at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United Nations in Geneva, the Annual General Meeting of 2026 was our chance to meet, review our vision and values and listen to the voices of our members. Presenting the Annual Report for ZimHealth, the outgoing Chairman, Rutendo Kuwana, thanked both the Mission and friends of ZimHealth who had supported the organisation over the past twelve months.
In contrast to previous years where ZimHealth had supported multiple projects in the preceding twelve month period, this past year the organisation adopted the strategy of focusing all its effort on one project. This was both as a consequence of a streamlined Executive Committee but also a reflection of the smaller available budget when compared to previous years. Despite the challenge, the project has been a success that will serve as a basis for the coming year and a return to multi-project support.
Context of Health in Zimbabwe
As always ZimHealth works in the context of health in Zimbabwe which was marked by a number of achievements in the 2025/2026 period: Maternal Mortality has decreased from 651 deaths per 100k in 2015 to 212 and the country achieved the HIV UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets well ahead of schedule. However persistent challenges continue to plague the landscape including an ever continuing brain drain which is depleting the clinical workforce and HIV gains facing a serious and unplanned for threat due to the withdrawal of international aid. “It is against this fragile backdrop that ZimHealth’s community-level work becomes ever more essential,” urged the Chair.
The Year in Review
The Chair also highlighted that for the first time in five years , ZimHealth had hosted a Fundraising Gala Event featuring Gemma Griffiths, Dereck Mpofu and local African Fashion designers and models. The event succeeded in rebuilding community engagement and driving interest in the organisation and triggered a surge of new members to the organisation. Social Media growth continued to steadily grow but this came against the backdrop of a steady decrease in membership contributions. The Chair encouraged ZimHealth members to renew their commitment to donating to the organisation so that we can continue scaling up our impact to pre-Covid levels.
Vision
Finally the Chair introduced the Funder Strategy for 2026/2027 with a clear pathway to greater impact. He noted that the Mutasa PHC Pilot and Mount Selinda M&E Framework have unlocked applied-research and community-health funders previously out of reach for ZimHealth. A plan of action and strategy were presented to the General Meeting and proposed to the incoming Executive Committee to execute over the next twelve months. This includes assigning a Board Relationship Manager per Tier 1 Funder and scheduling quarterly pipeline reviews as well as following a clearly defined funding pathway over the next 48 months.
As per the Constitution, the accounts of the organisation were presented and provisionally accepted by the AGM pending the official audit by our external Swiss auditors. This was followed by the election of the 2026/2027 Executive Committee which for the first time in several years saw its number increased significantly! The re-elected Chair thanked all who had attended and contributed to the AGM and closed the AGM before officially opening the Social Event for members and friends of ZimHealth.
Gratitude
We owe our heartfelt gratitude to Her Excellency Ambassador Ever Mlilo and the staff of the Mission who made the Mission building and grounds available for the AGM and the Social Event. We are also thankful to all the members and friends of ZimHealth who donated to the food and entertainment at their personal expense and freely volunteered their time and expertise in the various activities leading up to and after the event.
To read the Annual Report in detail, click here, and to donate head over to our donations page here.
ZimHealth | Publicity & Communications
“Our task remains to build on the momentum of 2025, strengthen partnerships, and to mobilise the resources necessary to expand our impact. We therefore call on all our stakeholders, existing and prospective, to join us in this journey. The progress we celebrate today is only the beginning. The real work lies ahead, and it is work we must do together.”
– Rutendo Kuwana, Chairperson, ZimHealth Europe
