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INTRODUCTION
This report is the product of a collaboration between the AMANI Trust and the Zimbabwe National Liberation War
Veterans Association(ZNLWVA). The AMANI Trust was requested by the ZNLWVA to assist in the development of a
programme to assess and treat war veterans suffering from psychological disorders as a consequence of their wartime
experiences. Following a series of meetings, a proposed collaboration was agreed covering the following areas of
training and research.
1.Training programme for ZNLWVA: Harare Hospital Clinic
A proposal for the training and supervision of primary care staff at the War Veterans Clinic at Harare Hospital was
agreed. AMANI would train primary care and other nursing staff in the assessment and management of survivors of
organised violence, using an approach developed by AMANI for the primary care and community settings. AMANI was
to be responsible for all training and teaching, and would attend the clinic on a weekly basis. AMANI would provide all
teaching materials, all materials for clinical recording, and all supplementary materials. AMANI would be responsible for
training health staff in counselling techniques and group therapy, and would provide ongoing supervision to the staff
trained for three months after the trainees complete the training course. This aspect of the collaboration has not taken
place for a variety of administrative reasons.
2. Research project into the problems, physical and psychological, of War Veterans
A joint research project aimed at assessing and describing the medical and psychological conditions suffered by
veterans was to be undertaken by the ZNLWVA and AMANI. The aim here was to provide a scientific appraisal of the
veterans attending the War Veterans Clinic at Harare Hospital. The study would provide a comprehensive description of
the medical and psychological problems of war veterans, as well as providing the first baseline data on the frequency of
PTSD among war veterans.
A detailed proposal for the research was submitted to the Ministry of Health, the respective hospitals, and the Medical
Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ).
The study was to be the joint responsibility of the ZNLWVA and AMANI. Permission was granted by the Ministry of
Health and the Superintendant of Harare Hospital, and a response from the MRC(Z) is still being awaited.
This report details the clinical findings from 5 months of attending the clinic at Harare Hospital.