The Salvation Army administered Tshelanyemba Hospital is a 100 bed acute-care hospital in the southernmost part of Zimbabwe, an arid rural area with average annual rainfalls of less than 400 mm. It is equidistant from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and Francistown, Botswana.  In addition to the hospital, the complex consists of a nursing school, vocational training center, support facilities, administration building day care, post office and numerous houses and apartments to accommodate staff.

As a result of many years of political unrest in Zimbabwe and the resultant economic uncertainty, little funding has been available either from the government or the Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters to maintain the hospital’s infrastructure. Like most hospitals and institutions within the country, infrastructure has deteriorated significantly. The St. John’s Temple Corps of the Salvation Army is attempting to help bring the basic infrastructure at the hospital back to acceptable and forward-thinking standards, to reflect the level of care that the people of Zimbabwe need and deserve.

To date, teams from the St. John’s Temple have visited Tshelanyemba Hospital in 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015.