As a result, she was unable to walk from childhood and spent part of her life in hospital. The great work of nurses and doctors triggered her passion and motivation to become a doctor.
After completing her A Levels, Bonde enrolled to study medicine with the University of Zimbabwe. Today she is an accomplished doctor and flies the county’s flag high as she travels across the globe speaking at international platforms.
She says her childhood years were complicated because of the prejudices that people have towards the physically challenged. She remembers facing negative experiences, but through motivation from her family she excelled.
Years of financial investment into her medical care by her parents led to a successful operation and today she can walk properly. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and a Diploma in Anaesthetics and Critical Care Medicines from UZ.
Today, she tells her story of how the people in the medical profession changed her life and why she proudly contributes to the public health sector:
“I am raising my son as a single mother and that is a fulfilling role. I enjoy being both a mother, a medical doctor. Above all I enjoy being a woman.
“I enjoy contributing to public health. I do not find it as a chore but a service to the people. I am driven by passion. I hope to contribute to public health so that access to health care improves on a national and even continental level.
“I want to do my part and I do it with guts because I know that is the space that I am happy at. I do not find it a chore but something that is enjoyable. I enjoy learning from people who are in different fields and professions.”
She is a Fellow of the Geneva Foundation of Medical Education and Research with Interest in Sexual and Reproductive Health and sits on six Non- Governmental Organization Boards, which include the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR), where she is currently the chairperson.
“I enjoy the era of public health advocacy. It is not about wealth and riches because most of the work is pro bono. This really separates those with passion and those who are in it for the money.
“Sometimes when you go out of the communities and you hear the stories of people failing to acquire drugs and other medical facilities like X-rays, others walking long distances to the nearest health centres – the suffering compels you to do something.
“The cry of my heart is to mobilise the resources which are necessary to revitalize the public health system and improve social services.
“One of the major challenges that I have faced is being mistaken for politician -just because you work in the civil society and that can be a stumbling block because I am nowhere near politics.”
Post published in: News