Friendship Bench Zimbabwe
Geography:
AFRICA
Type:
GRANT
Mission
Delivering evidence-based mental health therapy through community volunteers.
The Problem
More than 75% of people living with mental health conditions in low- and middle-income countries receive no treatment. In Zimbabwe, and many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, mental health challenges like depression and anxiety are widespread—but care is often inaccessible, unaffordable, or heavily stigmatized.
There’s a severe shortage of trained mental health professionals, and cultural norms often discourage open conversations about emotional distress. As a result, millions suffer in silence, leading to increased disability, reduced productivity, and deepened cycles of poverty and social exclusion.
The Solution
Friendship Bench offers a radically simple, scalable, and culturally rooted solution to closing the global mental health treatment gap:
empowering community grandmothers to deliver evidence-based talk therapy on park benches.
These trained lay health workers—affectionately called “Ambuya Utano” (health-grandmothers)—provide problem-solving therapy (PST) in a trusted, local setting. Sessions are:
Delivered in the local language (Shona)
Conducted in open-air, public settings (a “Friendship Bench”)
Centered on culturally adapted behavioral activation and talk therapy
Supported by referral pathways for severe cases
This model normalizes mental health care, dramatically reduces stigma, and brings healing into the heart of communities.
Outputs
743 community health workers trained in 2024
295,770 clients seen by the Friendship Bench in 2024
2,773+ community health care workers currently providing support
To date 859,855 people have received support to date from the Friendship Bench
Friendship Bench isn’t just heartwarming—it’s backed by rigorous science and strong outcomes:
Outcomes
On average clients of the friendship bench show the improvements in the following outcomes:
Improved concentration
Improved anger management
Improved sleep
Improved physical health
Improved outlook on life
Improved energy levels
Reduction of suicidal thoughts
Improved happiness
Improved productivity
Decreased stigma
Improved trust in the health system
Impact
In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants receiving Friendship Bench therapy showed significant reductions in depression and suicidal thoughts compared to individuals that did not receive help from the Friendship Bench program.
After 6 months of treatment through the Friendship Bench individuals are 72% less likely to show depression symptoms
The model is spreading—pilots and replications are now underway in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, the U.S., and beyond.
The Giving Opportunity
Friendship Bench is poised for rapid growth, both within Zimbabwe and in other low-resource settings around the world. Your support helps bring dignified, accessible mental health care to people who need it most.
Use of Funds:
Train and supervise more grandmothers and community health workers
Expand Friendship Bench clinics to new rural and urban locations
Support digital scaling, monitoring, and supervision tools
Fund research and cross-country implementation partnerships
Expected Outcomes:
Reduced depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation
Increased access to culturally rooted mental health care
Community-wide shifts in stigma and emotional well-being
Scalable, sustainable mental health delivery systems
How to Support
To learn more or contribute, email us at impact@uicharitable.org and we can help you support this organization through your UI Charitable Donor-Advised Fund.
Friendship Bench is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 85-3440548.