By Nyasha Dube
Ruramai* started feeling chest pains way before the cholera outbreak, but because of her church’s beliefs she could not seek medical attention.
The pain went on for years as she tried to get help from the healers in church, but nothing worked.
“I told my husband that I wanted to temporarily stop going to church as my health condition worsened. I was thinking of going to the hospital but did not know how to tell him,” said Ruramai who was clearly struggling to breathe normally.
Ruramai is one of the three wives married to Timothy Hove from Zuderberg in Rupemba, Zvishavane.
Women in the apostolic sect have often faced challenges in openly making their own decisions concerning their health, because of the sect’s resistance to modern medicine.
For a long time Ruramai could not go to the hospital but continued to seek traditional help outside her church, until recently when she contacted cholera, together with one of her sister wives and their daughter-in-law.
“Our church has its own ways of healing different ailments. My husband made us a concoction with soda, vinegar and salt. Health officials were called to assess the situation and they came with vaccinations, Oral Hydration Solutions and water purification tablets. That is when I strongly felt that I should get vaccinated,”
Ruramai
Ruramai says she could not make that decision without involving her husband, and sought intervention from For Girls Focus Trust, a local organization which has been working with the apostolic sect to improve health outcomes.
The organization has also played a pivotal role in cholera awareness within the apostolic sect, leading to the shift in the sect’s views towards clinical care.
Whilst Hove said he personally does not believe in vaccination and other medicine, he allowed Ruramai to make her own choice, and gave her permission to also seek medical help concerning her chest problems.
Ruramai has since received her cholera vaccine.
However, not all women within the apostolic sect have the courage or negotiating power to openly seek clinical care. As a result, some end up doing it anonymously.
One of Ruramal’s sister wives who spoke on conditions of anonymity said she got her vaccination without her husband’s knowledge.
Another sister wife said she is yet to make the decision as she strongly believes in the church’s healing power.
“I believe no disease is incurable within our church. For that reason I am hesitant to take the vaccine because we were already told how to cure cholera in our church and that is enough for me,” she said.
Hove says when some of his family members fell sick from cholera, he was working in Zuderberg area which has since become a cholera hotspot.
“We started taking precautionary measures such as washing hands and eating hot food to protect ourselves. We also approached social welfare for protective clothing and hand sanitizers as we were treating those affected. We do not take medicine, including vaccination because of our religious beliefs,” Hove said.
He added that collaborations with the health ministry are welcome as they need more knowledge and awareness concerning the cholera outbreak.
Hove personally refused to take the vaccine.
Attitudes towards vaccines have been gradually changing within the apostolic sect, from the time when there was the COVID-19 outbreak to the measles outbreak when women secretly had their children vaccinated.
The newfound agency, especially amongst women, has seen the sect actively engaging in health conversations, seeking information and making informed decisions concerning their health.
Meanwhile, Vugwi rural health center Environmental Health Technician Kipson Shumba says the vaccination uptake has been commendably high except for the few groups that have been resisting because of religious and cultural factors.
“Community’s response to the cholera vaccine has been overwhelming, we might need more to cater for the whole population. On average we have been reaching 1 400 people per day with the vaccine since the rollout earlier this week,” Shumba said.
He added that the agency maybe fueled by the identified hotspot in Zuderberg.
“There was a gold rush and many artisanal miners travel from across the country and this might have led to the worrying increase in cases. We used to get around 3 to 4 suspected cases a day. We supported the affected people and encouraged miners to temporarily stop migrating,” he said.
Shumba also urged villagers to continue adhering to hygienic practices despite taking the vaccine.
*Not her real name