By Staff Reporter
According to an article shared on the City of Harare’s Facebook page, the city’s Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF) is gaining support from residents’ associations, as the community-driven health financing scheme seeks to reach its target of 100,000 members.
The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust (ZNOART) and Harare Residents Trust (HRT) have expressed support for CHEF, with the organisations pledging to help mobilise residents and boost enrolment across the capital.
Speaking on the sidelines of a CHEF High Level Strategic Partnership Review Meeting in Harare, ZNOART National Chairman Shepherd Shalvar Chikomba said the scheme presented an important opportunity to improve access to healthcare and funeral cover while ensuring vulnerable members of communities were not left behind.
Chikomba said achieving the 100,000-member target would require coordinated community mobilisation, stronger stakeholder collaboration and continuous engagement with residents.
He said ZNOART was prepared to use its national, provincial, district and ward structures to support public awareness, community engagement and enrolment.
“Our position is that residents’ buy-in is critical to the success and sustainability of CHEF,” Chikomba said.
Harare Residents Trust Director Precious Shumba also endorsed the scheme, describing it as being grounded in the concept of hunhu/ubuntu, where public health is viewed as a shared societal responsibility.
Shumba highlighted the funeral support component of CHEF, saying the partnership with ZB Financial Holdings gives participating residents an opportunity to receive US$1,000 in cash support for funeral expenses.
He said greater engagement between the City, councillors, residents and other partners would be critical in building trust in the health financing model.
The residents’ associations also welcomed the involvement of councillors, saying their participation could strengthen a bottom-up approach in which community needs inform decision-making.
