Karanda Mission Hospital was established in 1961 to meet the needs of mission stations in the Zambezi River valley which were established as churches and then, as the abundant health care challenges were seen, small dispensaries/clinics were developed along with churches and finally schools. To help the clinics, the hospital was built. Karanda is in a remote area of Northern Zimbabwe nearest to Mount Darwin. Its location is approximately 124 miles from Harare, the Capital of Zimbabwe.

The mission complex has a 3 year nurse training school for around 55 students, a 1 year midwifery program, and a primary school offering grades 1-7 for children of the hospital staff. The hospital is licensed for 150 beds and on an average work day we perform between 15-30 surgeries and sees 200-300 outpatients. The facility is known for the large number of surgical cases it handles as well as treating HIV/AIDS, TB, obstetrics, and hydrocephalus. The hospital also offers a Home Based care program that ministers to the needs of widows, orphans and those with HIV. It works with the Evangelical church, a non-denominational church, very similar in doctrine to the Evangelical Free church in the United States.

Since PAPA began in 2005, physicians have traveled to Zimbabwe every year to perform many surgical procedures that have saved lives. In 2012 alone, PAPA’s volunteering doctors performed over 100 surgeries in just 3 weeks. PAPA also hosts Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses for the local physicians and nurses and assists in providing successful outreach programs in surrounding communities that teach about personal and preventative health.

For many years Karanda had no access to antiretroviral drugs (AIDS preventative). This lead to many pediatric deaths of children born with HIV to HIV positive mothers. Because of help from PAPA and other partner organizations, Karanda now provides these drugs that allow babies to survive and have a long life. Because Karanda sees many orthopedic surgery and hip replacement patients, PAPA has sent orthopedic supplies amounting to $15k a year for the last two years. PAPA has also provided ultrasound machines, bedding, IV poles, a ventilator, surgical tables, an oxygen system and an incinerator over the last several years.

In 2012, PAPA sent a shipping container to Karanda that provided clothing and shoes for over 2000 orphans, and contained 600,000 servings of food for the local people. PAPA also purchased and distributed over 2000 bibles at $10 a piece from 2012 to 2013.

  • Hospital: Karanda Mission Hospital
  • Location: Mt. Darwin, Zimbabwe
  • Established: 1961
  • Beds: 130
  • Website: http://www.karanda.org/