This study explores the implications of the Johanna Marange Apostolic Church's (JMAC) resistance to contemporary health institutions on child rights in Zimbabwe. The JMAC has developed home-based institutions for expectant mothers and faith-based hospitals that do not utilize modern medicines, compromising the health of children. The religious teachings of the JMAC prohibit the uptake of contemporary medicines and emphasize spiritual healing instead, seriously compromising children's physical, social, and intellectual development. Male leadership enforces biblical perceptions against modern medicine on women and children, reinforcing gender disparities and denying females and children the right to seek contemporary medical care.

1. Using rivers of life to explore significant occurrences in HIV positive young
people’s lives: data from Harare, Zimbabwe
Bridging the gulf between Culture and Child Rights: Implications on the non uptake of
contemporary medicines within the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church
Tarisai Manyati (University of Zimbabwe)
contact: tarysai1@hotmail.com
Presented at the International Conference on Child Sensitive Social Policies, Meikles Hotel, 19-20 February 2014
In Sub Saharan Africa, the Johanna Marange Apostolic Church
(JMAC) arose as a syncretistic movement which embodies local
values and culture and fiercely resisted colonial institutions. The
members of the Johanne Marange Apostolic sect form a huge
social group with an estimated national population of 29.9% of the
women and 22.4% of the men making it the biggest religious
group in Zimbabwe (TARSC 2010).
Insufficient exploration has note been done in order to examine
the implications of the resistance of the of the JMAC to
contemporary health institutions vis a vis child rights. This study
explores this dichotomy with respect to health .
•This study used a qualitative methodology.
• Within the months of January and March 2013,In depth
interviews were held with: expectant mothers (n=3),children (3)
prophetess (n=3), health care worker (n=1), midwives (n=2),
elderly women (n=3)
• A review of secondary literature was also done from newspapers
, journals, survey reports and books.
• Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into
English (where necessary)
• Data collected was coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.
• The JMAC has developed home based institution to cater
for the expectant mothers.
• The hospitals are faith based and they do not utilize
modern medicines compromising the children's health in
custodianship of their mothers.
•
The religious teaching of the JMAC prohibit the uptake of
contemporary medicines and emphasizes on spiritual healing.
This parental decision seriously compromises the children
physical, social and intellectual development (Interview 1 Health
Care Worker, Picture B of mother with a baby strapped at the back
below receive spiritual healing).
Study findings highlighted how male leadership enforces
their biblical perceptions on non uptake of contemporary
medicines on women and the children.
•The picture above shows the male leadership of the JMAC
delivering some teachings to children and women from the
church.
•The authority culturally vested in the males reinforces
gender disparities and denies the children and the female
congregants the right and decision to seek contemporary
medicines.
.
BACKGROUND
METHODOLOGY
Presentation of Findings
RESULTS (CONTD)
RECOMMENDATIONS AND
CONCLUSIONS
• Barriers to uptake need to be appropriately addressed.
• Interventions should cease to be confrontational and
should aim at transforming the gender disparities in the
JMAC.
• Need for appropriate health education for all community
members of the Domboshava.
• Fathers and JMAC leadership need to be targeted in
interventions .
Faith Based Healing
‘” The use of modern medicines is unholy and it is against the teaching of
the bible. It places man above God. Diseases are as a result of
disobedience to the laws of God. Therefore we including our children do
not take medicines brought by the whites. We rely on prayer and holy
water (muteuro) for our children health (In-depth Interview 5, Prophetess
“We strictly use holy water as per our religious belief. While hospitals use
medicines to cure, we keep our faith in the holy water‘
(Interview with Prophet, Herald 2010)
Old Wine, New Skins: Cultural Factors
The JMAC practices the culturally embedded polygamy.
Young girls are customarily forced to marry by religious
sanction outside their will.
The non use of contraceptives resulted in droves of children
within the polygamous affairs who lack double parental
upbringing as well as psycho- social support from the
fathers who abandon child rearing to their mothers
‘I have 45 children with 14 young wives. My youngest wife is 14 years
old. My wives are responsible for taking care of the children (In-depth
Interview Prophet Tarwirei, Zimbabwe Press.com )
Most of the children die in the hospitals and in their homes. So we are currently
doing an intervention targeting HIV positive children . We have given some
medications to some of the children and their health is improving.(Interview-
Health care worker)
‘The procedures in the hospitals nowadays make impossible for our female
congregants (madzimai) to seek for medical assistance for delivering their
children there(read medical hospitals) . Imagine your wife lying naked and
being examined by a male medical doctor ? We cannot allow t hat...” (In-depth
interview 7, Prophet)