In 2006, our Founder Dr. Chibanda one of only 3 psychiatrists working in Zimbabwe at the time, lost a patient to suicide. This loss of life could have potentially been avoided had the client had $10 dollars for transport to get to the facility for her review. This is not a unique story in Zimbabwe, 90% of those needing evidence-based care for common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders do not have access, and this situation is dire.

Poverty often restricts access to essential resources, and mental health services are no exception. World Bank reports 39.5% of Zimbabweans live in extreme poverty (< USD 1.90 per day) with most of the population (81.3%) surviving on <USD 5.5013, seeing Zimbabweans live in constantly adverse situations. A private therapy session costs from $20 making it impossible for the ordinary Zimbabwean to allocate resources towards their mental wellbeing.

Through the Friendship Bench we have introduced a low-cost, community-based approach to mental health. Using a ‘task-shifting’ approach, the Friendship Bench model is amplifying mental health treatment, making mental health care more accessible, relatable, and thus acceptable, to marginalized communities in Zimbabwe.

Here our Founder and CEO Prof Dixon Chibanda speak on the Friendship Bench work on the link below.

https://youtu.be/Cprp_EjVtwA?si=gXpbZV7cMPMX0Io6