Meet Stembile Matambo, a Life Shaped by Faith and Service…
Former Health Sciences Lecturer, current Head of Home Health Care Management at A.O. Clinic, Counsellor, and founder of Thembi Consultancy, Stembile Matambo, is a woman whose life’s work blends dignity, wellness, and faith.
A naturalised Motswana, originally from Zimbabwe, she has served Botswana for 32 years and now dedicates her career to caring for patients where they are most at peace: at home.
In this heartwarming conversation with Voice Woman, the conscientious lifelong learner opens up about her journey into home health care. Matambo holds an impressive list of qualifications: Diploma in Nursing-Midwifery, Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health, Certificate in Adult Education, Diploma in Bible Training, Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management, Master of Arts in Nursing Sciences, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health, specialising in home health care.
Her work in research includes PMTCT, TB studies, and the Botswana Combination Prevention Project (BCPP).
She began her career in 1981 in Zimbabwe before relocating to Botswana where she continued as a senior clinical sister and lecturer at Bamalete Lutheran Hospital (BLH) and School of Nursing respectively, later moving to the Institute of Health Sciences in Francistown when her husband was transferred in 2000.
An ordained pastor at Light of the World since 2016, the mother-of-three and grandmother-of-four’s approach to health and wellness is firmly anchored in her Christianity and personal experience. She returned to the calling closest to her heart after losing her father in hospital, a loss that left a lasting impression and a desire to ensure other families experience more compassionate end-of-life support.
“My father died in the hospital and it was too sad for me. I told myself, this is where I can provide my utmost care.”
Thus, her family became her first clients, coordinating care for her brother remotely, and later for her mother, who passed away peacefully at the ripe age of 95, surrounded by loved ones at home. “That was her choice,” she reflects.
These experiences strengthened her dedication to providing dignified home-based care for people of all ages.
“A lot of people are not aware of it; when they hear about home healthcare, they think old people. Basically, home health care is looking after the patient in the comfort of their home. It could be a young person, a middle-aged person, or an old person. When we talk about home health, we are talking about care that is given by trained people; doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or people from the lab. Home health care is not just for the elderly, it’s for anyone who needs care in the comfort of their home,” she reiterates.
Through Always Open (AO) – 24 hours Clinic, where she has worked since 2019, Matambo provides holistic patient care.
“Since we started, we are looking at what we call total patient care. It includes bathing and hygiene assistance, oral care and feeding, medication administration, bed sore prevention, mobility exercises and occupational therapy, so that their mind is not fixed on their illness, rest and comfort support, and assistance with toileting and daily living activities,” she says, adding she also handles palliative care for cancer patients and those in end-of-life stages.
“Depending on a client’s condition, care is provided by trained carers, nurses, physiotherapists, or doctors.”
The team also offers counselling (home or office), prenatal and postnatal support, wound dressings, injection administration, infection control education, home-based recovery after surgery. “Some of the patients prefer to be counselled at our offices.
The good thing about doing prenatal care at home is you can involve the family, or the live- in helper.
Picking random people from the street to look after loved ones is a major risk; you don’t want to bring infections into the home,” she explains.
One major challenge remains: “Medical aid in Botswana does not reimburse home health care yet, unlike in other countries,” she notes, adding that many people confuse professional home health care with home-based care, which began during the HIV epidemic and largely relied on untrained family members.
When the AO Clinic director proposed developing accredited healthcare courses, Matambo saw the opportunity to build a pipeline of trained professionals. Drawing on international exposure and curriculum development experience, she authored the Home Health Care Provider Course and founded Thembi Consultancy, offering BQA- accredited Home Health Care courses in collaboration with AO Clinic at KB Mall, Bus Rank.
“We launched training in May 2021. The first intake had just one student, a man who later moved to the UK and found work immediately. From there, enrollment grew through word of mouth,” she says, adding beyond caregiving skills, her training emphasises the discovery of one’s God-given values, building caregivers who serve with heart and purpose.
One of her proudest success stories is Amantle Kobe, a young woman from Metsimotlhabe.
“After completing the course, she secured a job in the UK, continued with her finance studies, and now inspires others through YouTube to pursue home care as a pathway to employment,” she says proudly, adding many of her graduates now work in the UK, Australia (one recently completed a nursing degree), in occupational therapy programmes, local care facilities, and with private clients.
She emphasises that the course accepts learners from Form 3 and upwards, though many degree-holders also enroll to improve job prospects.
“My passion is to train these young people to build a life, support themselves, and care for others with dignity.”
Matambo works closely with the District Health Management Teams (DHMT) for medical referrals and supplies, District Council for safe waste disposal (diapers, red bags, etc.) and Monax Shelter for Hope Trustin Metsimotlhabe, where students gain experience working with elderly people and children.
“Through these partnerships, vulnerable households receive proper support, and students learn real-life caregiving challenges such as dementia management.”
In terms of balancing physical and emotional care, Matambo’s curriculum strongly emphasises confidentiality, compassion, emotional intelligence and good ol’ botho- respect for patient autonomy.
“A patient at home is not a bed number. They are a mother, father, sibling, a child. Being home means dignity,” she says, and advises aspiring home health entrepreneurs: “Don’t look at how much you have, look at the skills you possess instead and reach out to potential helpers; I am willing to share. I see home healthcare appreciated not just in Botswana, but beyond. In my thesis, I am working on the importance of training home healthcare providers.”
