Friendship Bench - Zimbabwe

Friendship Bench - Zimbabwe Friendship Bench Zimbabwe is an evidence-based mental health intervention. We provide free talk therapy. We are a member of the Friendship Bench global network.
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Friendship Bench provides free mental health and psychosocial support for people struggling with mild to moderate mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Working with community health workers trained in problem-solving therapy and behavioural activation we are bridging the mental health treatment gap in Zimbabwe and beyond. The talk therapy intervention is accessible at primary care clinics as well as via WhatsApp so it is widely accessible.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting participants from Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Program 2026 cohort at ou...
13/03/2026

Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting participants from Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Program 2026 cohort at our offices.We welcomed 30 emerging mental health leaders from across Africa for an informal exchange where our team shared insights on the Friendship Bench model, our work in community-based mental health care, and the ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to integrate the programme into Zimbabwe’s public health system.

The visit also included an engaging Q&A session and a tour, offering participants an opportunity to understand how lay health workers deliver evidence based mental health support at primary care level.

We are encouraged to see growing leadership across the continent committed to closing the mental health treatment gap. 🌍

Strengthening sustainability through partnership. We conducted joint support and supervision visits with the national, p...
11/03/2026

Strengthening sustainability through partnership.

We conducted joint support and supervision visits with the national, provincial and district teams from the Ministry of Health and Child Care in Matabeleland South. This exercise is part of the ongoing process of transitioning and integrating the Friendship Bench programme into government systems, ensuring long-term delivery of community based mental health services.

08/03/2026

Today we celebrate the power of women’s leadership, compassion and resilience.

Happy International Women’s Day!


We are proud to announce that Friendship Bench is entering into a strategic partnership with UNESCO to expand access to ...
04/03/2026

We are proud to announce that Friendship Bench is entering into a strategic partnership with UNESCO to expand access to mental health services for tertiary institution students across Zimbabwe.

This initiative advances our vision of ensuring that everyone is within walking distance of a Friendship Bench. Targeting 52 tertiary institutions across all provinces, the partnership will focus not only on service delivery, but also on influencing national frameworks to integrate health and mental wellbeing earlier in policy formulation.

By leveraging existing institutional structures and resources, we will work collaboratively to:

• Develop scalable national-level approaches
• Establish and strengthen health-promoting campuses
• Integrate mental health into higher and tertiary education systems
• Reinforce broader health system capacity

This is a significant step toward embedding mental wellbeing within Zimbabwe’s education architecture - ensuring students are supported not only academically, but holistically.

We look forward to working alongside partners to shape a sustainable, systems-level response for the next generation.

27/02/2026

This past week, we moved beyond reflection and into bold, future focused conversations reimagining how community based mental health support can grow, adapt, and respond to the evolving needs of the communities we serve in Zimbabwe.

We aligned around a shared vision for the next three years one that is scalable, sustainable, and deeply rooted in impact.

23/02/2026

"Hello friends of Friendship Bench" - Dr Esther Tumbare

11/02/2026

We were honoured to spend two days with representatives from the Mulago Foundation during their visit to Zimbabwe. The visit provided valuable time for shared learnings, reflections, and meaningful engagement with the work taking place within our communities.

Mulago has been a crucial partner in our journey, playing a key role in enabling community-led mental health care and supporting the systems that drive sustainable long-term impact. Through this partnership, we have strengthened the Friendship Bench intervention by increasing access to evidence-based community-led mental health care that places people and communities at the centre of support.

The visit also created space to deepen a shared understanding of our scale strategy, particularly our ongoing process of transitioning the intervention into government systems. These conversations reinforced our collective commitment to sustainable scale ensuring that quality mental health care continues to reach more people through strong public sector ownership and integration.

We are honoured to receive a Basket of Hope Mental Wellness Award from our partner FASAA whose work is dedicated to figh...
09/02/2026

We are honoured to receive a Basket of Hope Mental Wellness Award from our partner FASAA whose work is dedicated to fighting drug and substance abuse.

This recognition speaks to the power of community-led mental health care and to the everyday work of our Grandmothers, Youth Friendship Bench, Open Line, and partners who show up with compassion, consistency and hope especially for those navigating recovery and vulnerability.

Mental wellness and substance use are deeply connected. When people are heard, supported and met where they are, healing becomes possible. We accept this award with gratitude and as encouragement to continue strengthening mental health support within our communities.

03/02/2026

Our vision as an organisation is to have a Friendship Bench within walking distance for all and this is exactly what we have tried to bring to reality in Harare through the support of our partners and donors.

Are you in Harare📍 and in need of someone to talk to? Here is a brief message from our Harare Implementation Manager to you…

🏆 From the longlist, To the shortlist,And NOW-To winning the USA Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) for 2025! The OWL...
29/01/2026

🏆 From the longlist, To the shortlist,
And NOW-To winning the USA Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) for 2025!

The OWL spotlights the best books shaping society today.

"I hope The Friendship Bench inspires empathic community connectedness in the USA and beyond."- Dixon Chibanda, MD

29/01/2026

When people are given a safe space to express themselves, lives can be saved.

Grandmother Matekenya a mental health supporter in Mashonaland West shares that real change began when people were given a safe space to talk. She goes on to say that these conversations have helped save lives and restore hope, contributing to a noticeable reduction in su***de rates.

Meet Gogo Hwiza, who is now 96 years old! 💛As one of the first 14 grandmothers who started this movement in 2006, she ha...
28/01/2026

Meet Gogo Hwiza, who is now 96 years old! 💛

As one of the first 14 grandmothers who started this movement in 2006, she has spent decades creating safe spaces for those struggling with mental health. Her wisdom, kindness, and dedication reminds us that one person’s heart can change an entire community.

Gogo Hwiza, thank you for showing us the power of love, connection, and service. Your legacy lives on in every life you have touched.

Address

4 Weale Road
Harare

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 16:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00
Thursday 09:00 - 16:00
Friday 09:00 - 13:00

Telephone

+263715191738

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Our Story

The Friendship Bench Project reduces the mental health treatment gap by using a cognitive behavioural therapy based approach at local clinics to address kufungisisa. The mental intervention for depression and anxiety is accessible in all primary care clinics in Gweru, Chitungwiza and Harare. Kufungisisa, the local term for depression, is literally translated into “thinking too much”. Individual problem solving therapy is offered from a specifically trained lay health worker (locally known as "Ambuya Utano").