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.

Building Bridges of CareThe youth in Hopely now have a physical Bench! After successfully completing the FB in A Box tra...
17/11/2025

Building Bridges of Care

The youth in Hopely now have a physical Bench!

After successfully completing the FB in A Box training, Friendship Bench, ActionAid Zimbabwe and representatives from ActionAid Denmark handed over a Bench to the delivering agents in Hopely.

At the heart of ensuring full ownership of community-based mental health support is agency and giving young people a space to support other young people in their community is part of our shared vision.

Together, we continue to bring safe spaces for conversation and healing.

A new story for women’s health starts now, and we’re ready! Friendship Bench Zimbabwe is proud to be one of 80+ awardees...
13/11/2025

A new story for women’s health starts now, and we’re ready!

Friendship Bench Zimbabwe is proud to be one of 80+ awardees for Action for Women’s Health, a global open call funded by Pivotal Ventures and managed by Lever for Change.

Over the past two decades, our army of grandmothers have been dedicated to advancing access for mental health for communities across Zimbabwe and by December 2025, we would have impacted over 1 million lives through the Friendship Bench. This award recognizes that our locally founded model works and we look forward to utilizing this support to deepen our reach throughout Zimbabwe, ensuring A Friendship Bench Within Walking Distance For All.

We are honored to join a global cohort of changemakers delivering innovative, scalable, and equitable solutions for women’s health.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5xxV95R

The goal is to have “A Friendship Bench Within Walking Distance For All” and this can only be achieved through partnersh...
12/11/2025

The goal is to have “A Friendship Bench Within Walking Distance For All” and this can only be achieved through partnerships.

Today, we used media as a tool to reach millions of men across the nation through collaborating with Zimbabwe Television Network to raise awareness on mental health and reduce stigma around this critical issue.

You can contribute to our collective efforts by clicking the link below, sharing with your network, and putting to practice the recommendations shared:

🔗 https://www.facebook.com/ZTNPrime/videos/1105218844885114/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Interested in supporting the vision of Friendship Bench Zimbabwe through your products and services? Review these requir...
12/11/2025

Interested in supporting the vision of Friendship Bench Zimbabwe through your products and services?

Review these requirements and submit your application for our 2026 - 2028 supplier’s list.

Friendship Bench is at the 7th Global Mental Health Summit! 🌍We are proud to be part of this global gathering bringing t...
10/11/2025

Friendship Bench is at the 7th Global Mental Health Summit! 🌍

We are proud to be part of this global gathering bringing together leaders, researchers, and practitioners committed to advancing mental health for all. The Summit provides a valuable space for collaboration, innovation, and shared learning.

Meet our CEO, Dr. Esther Tumbare at the conference to learn more about the latest developments of our intervention💬✨

💬 This , we challenge YOU to look closer.If you notice changes in someone’s mood, energy, sleeping patterns, or interes...
06/11/2025

💬 This , we challenge YOU to look closer.

If you notice changes in someone’s mood, energy, sleeping patterns, or interest in things they once loved, reach out. One simple conversation could make a difference and even save a life. 💛

03/11/2025

One of our Youth Friendship Bench Buddies once said, “As a male child you are expected to come up with solutions, to be brave and to take care of your siblings, but you then realise that no one is actually checking up on you…”

As we mark , let’s challenge that by checking in, listening, and creating safe spaces where men can open up and heal because one conversation can make all the difference and sometimes, even save a life. 💬.

🔊Impact Report ALERT!Every conversation matters. Every life touched is a step toward a mentally healthier Zimbabwe. Frie...
24/10/2025

🔊Impact Report ALERT!

Every conversation matters. Every life touched is a step toward a mentally healthier Zimbabwe. Friendship Bench Zimbabwe continues to bridge the gap between need and care, empowering thousands to find hope, healing, and connection through our foot soldiers The Friendship Bench Grandmothers and digital platforms. 🌿

Discover the stories and impact behind the numbers in our latest Impact Report: 🔗https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o9kvXvMlTMDGelmREgfBn8F8W5eXKRdR/view?usp=share_link

We are almost there! 🌻At Friendship Bench Zimbabwe, we have now supported 925 000 clients and we are just 75,000 convers...
22/10/2025

We are almost there! 🌻

At Friendship Bench Zimbabwe, we have now supported 925 000 clients and we are just 75,000 conversations away from our 1 millionth client. Each of these individuals represent a story of hope, healing, and human connection. 💛

Every conversation on the Bench brings us closer to a world where opening up is strength and mental wellbeing is for everyone.

Wellness Without Limits - a dynamic space that brought together experts from sport, nutrition, art, neuropsychology and ...
20/10/2025

Wellness Without Limits - a dynamic space that brought together experts from sport, nutrition, art, neuropsychology and psychiatry to explore holistic approaches to well-being. 🌿One of the ground pillars of the Friendship Bench is self-care. To drive our advocacy work further, our founder, Prof. Dixon Chibanda, shared insights on the intersection between mental health and overall wellness using lessons drawn from over two decades with the Friendship Bench.

Driving the conversation further, our CEO Dr. Esther Tumbare engaged thought leaders, health experts, and private sector players throughout the event exploring avenues of scaling mental health support across Zimbabwe. 💬🧠

✨✨Friendship Bench has been healing communities for close to two decades! In the face of immense uncertainty in the deve...
16/10/2025

✨✨Friendship Bench has been healing communities for close to two decades! In the face of immense uncertainty in the development space over the last few months, the need for mental health support exponentially grew. Through our dedicated team and delivering agents we have been able to provide more support to over 950,000 people, a cause for celebration. To the Friendship Bench team and our entire ecosystem of friends, partners, and donors, we say thank you 💬💛
Together, we continue to grow, connect, and create impact.

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

Website

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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").