In a poignant ceremony at Chishawasha Mission, the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) honored the late Rosalie Chigariro, the first black Zimbabwean to donate her body to medical research. Her remains, donated in 2021, served the Anatomy Unit’s Department of Biomedical Sciences for four transformative years, training hundreds of medical students, paramedics, nurses, and allied health professionals.

“Her gift was a profound act of service,” said Dr. Josephine Chidaushe, UZ’s Biomedical Sciences chairperson. “A silent teacher, she nurtured future healers, surgeons, and health workers.” Born with health challenges, Chigariro viewed donation as “a final gift to help others live, learn, and heal.” Her family, proud of her courage, laid her to rest at Chishawasha Mission, her high school alma mater.

Body donation remains rare in Zimbabwe, but Chigariro’s selflessness challenges taboos. “We say goodbye with gratitude, not sorrow,” her sister Petronilla said.

Her story echoes globally ,  ethical, altruistic donation advances science. UZ’s Anatomy Unit urges others to follow her example.

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