BY GCWALISILE MHLABANE
MANZINI– For about 700 elderly residents of Manzini South, a visit to Ngwane Park High School became an opportunity to receive medical attention without the worry of consultation costs, transport expenses or long clinic queues.
The free outreach, held on September 12, was delivered by the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation Eswatini in collaboration with the Manzini South Inkhundla Council.
Tzu Chi is a Taiwan-based international humanitarian organisation involved in healthcare, charity, education, disaster relief and community development. The Manzini South programme formed part of its ongoing mobile medical initiatives in Eswatini.
Tzu Chi Charity Foundation representative Sharon Fraser said the outreach was the foundation’s 22nd mobile medical initiative and brought together healthcare professionals and volunteers to assist people in need.
“We are very grateful to have been invited to the community to hold our mobile medical outreach. We are expecting to serve more than 700 patients, and this will be our 22nd outreach,” Fraser said.
The programme offered medical consultations, physiotherapy, hepatitis testing, nutrition services and breast cancer screening, allowing beneficiaries to access several services at one location.
For elderly residents, the community-based approach helped bring essential services within easier reach while encouraging early attention to health concerns.
Beyond the immediate outreach, the programme also highlighted a growing relationship between Tzu Chi and Government, with discussions extending into education, Early Childhood Care and Development and community empowerment.
Speaking during the outreach, Minister of Education and Training and Manzini South Member of Parliament Owen Nxumalo said Government was pleased with the foundation’s commitment to supporting communities and was working towards formalising further cooperation.
“We are very happy that we have secured an agreement with Sharon Fraser from the Tzu Chi Foundation. We want to finalise an MOU so that the foundation can assist Early Childhood Care and Development centres in rural schools, where support is greatly needed,” Nxumalo said.
He said the partnership could bring meaningful development to schools and communities while supporting children to learn and live well.
“The foundation has partnered with Government to bring development to these schools, ensuring that children can learn and live well. I am extremely grateful to this foundation for the wonderful work they have done,” Nxumalo said.
Nxumalo also highlighted Tzu Chi’s work in Eluyengweni, where the organisation established a preschool to support young children’s education and development.
“In Eluyengweni, they established a preschool where they are teaching young children. They have shown great passion and love for young children, working alongside local volunteers. As Minister of Education and Training, I am very pleased with this achievement,” he said.
He said the partnership was aligned with the directive for Government and its partners to work directly with communities and deliver tangible results.
“This aligns directly with the directive given to us by His Majesty the King – that we must go out into the community, work hard and deliver tangible results that benefit the people,” Nxumalo said.
Fraser said Tzu Chi was looking to extend its work into rural primary schools, focusing on moral and character education as well as practical initiatives.
“We hope that beyond medical outreach, we will also go into rural primary schools to promote moral education and character education to nurture these young children,” Fraser said.
She said the foundation was considering providing seedlings to encourage agriculture and farming at primary schools, alongside craft materials to support and empower sewing projects.
The Manzini South programme therefore served as both an immediate intervention for elderly residents and a platform for strengthening cooperation between Tzu Chi and local stakeholders.
For the beneficiaries, the impact was immediate and personal: professional attention was brought closer to home, financial barriers were reduced and health concerns could be addressed in a familiar community setting.
At a broader level, the initiative pointed to a partnership with potential to reach beyond healthcare into education, early childhood development, agriculture and practical skills.
With about 700 elderly residents benefiting, the outreach offered a clear example of how targeted community support can turn partnerships into tangible assistance for emaSwati.
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(Courtesy Pic)
