Telecommunications company NetOne is expanding its community empowerment programme by combining healthcare services with digital financial opportunities for rural residents.
The initiative, known as Vadhumeni Vehutano is being rolled out in Musikavanhu as part of NetOne’s 30th anniversary medical outreach and telemedicine programme.
It is designed to bring basic healthcare services closer to households while creating income-generating opportunities for local community health ambassadors.
Residents in Musikavanhu have benefited from free medical screenings, consultations and medicines while telemedicine services are being introduced to connect patients with healthcare professionals beyond their immediate communities.
Speaking during the programme, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Angeline Gata praised NetOne for using technology to respond to community needs while empowering people at grassroots level.
The Vadhumeni Vehutano ambassadors will work within their communities, visiting households to conduct basic health checks, provide information on health and wellness, identify possible health concerns and refer residents for further medical attention where necessary.
NetOne has provided 10 bicycles, blood pressure machines and glucometers to help the ambassadors reach households and conduct basic screenings.
Residents requiring further attention can be referred to health facilities or connected to medical professionals through telemedicine.
But the programme also has an economic component.
Through NetOne’s OneMoney platform, the Vadhumeni Vehutano ambassadors will also operate as agents, giving them an opportunity to earn an income while providing digital financial services to people in their communities.
The model combines community healthcare with financial inclusion, allowing the ambassadors to serve as both health champions and digital financial service providers.
NetOne public relations manager Ernest Magadzire said the initiative reflected the company’s changing approach to connectivity as it marked 30 years of operations in Zimbabwe.
“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.”
Magadzire said the programme showed how telecommunications infrastructure could be used to address social and economic challenges beyond providing network services.
“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.” he said
The programme supports First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s advocacy for greater use of virtual healthcare, particularly for communities that face geographical barriers to accessing medical services.
It also aligns with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, which promotes technology, innovation and inclusive development.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership with ZimSmart Villages, highlighting the role of public-private and community partnerships in addressing rural development challenges.
For residents of Musikavanhu, organisers say the programme could bring both immediate and long-term benefits through improved health awareness, greater access to medical services and new sources of income.
As NetOne celebrates three decades of connecting Zimbabwe, the Vadhumeni Vehutano initiative reflects its broader ambition to use connectivity not only to link people, but also to improve livelihoods and strengthen rural communities.
