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Friendship Bench Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe (expanding to USA, Kenya, Malawi, Vietnam), Sub-Saharan Africa

The Friendship Bench is a community-based mental health program founded in 2006 by Dr. Dixon Chibanda. Trained community health workers (grandmothers or Ambuya Utano) deliver problem-solving talk therapy on wooden benches in community spaces. The program addresses kufungisisa (thinking too much) - local terms for depression/anxiety. After therapy, clients join Circle Kubatana Tose peer support groups that include income-generating activities like crocheting recycled materials. Results show 78% reduction in depression and suicidal ideation. Over 821,000 clients served by 2,773 trained community health workers.

Behavior Goal

Enable help-seeking for mental health through accessible community-based services and reduce stigma through grandmother-delivered therapy

Implementers & Partners

  • Friendship Bench Zimbabwe
  • Ministry of Health and Child Care Zimbabwe

Donors & Sponsors

  • African Visionary Fund
  • WHO
  • Grand Challenges Canada
  • USAID DIV

Key Takeaways

  • 1Grandmother (Ambuya) delivery model increases accessibility and trust
  • 278% reduction in depression and suicidal ideation
  • 3Circle Kubatana Tose peer groups integrate income generation with support
  • 4HIV-positive clients 3x more likely to maintain viral suppression
  • 5Friendship Bench in a Box toolkit enables global replication

Sources

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