Zimbabwe's Friendship Bench mental health initiative wins prestigious KBF Africa Prize
via NewsDay Zimbabwe5 min read
Zimbabwe's Friendship Bench, a mental health initiative, has been awarded the 2025-26 KBF Africa Prize by the King Baudouin Foundation. The award, which includes a €250,000 grant and access to an international network, will be presented at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium. Founded in 2006 by Zimbabwean psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda, Friendship Bench addresses the country's mental health treatment gap by training community-based lay health workers, known as "Grandmothers," to provide structured talk therapy in accessible locations. Zimbabwe faces a severe shortage of psychiatrists, with only about 18 serving over 16 million people, and less than one percent of the national health budget allocated to mental health services. The program, which costs between US$13 and US$16.50 per client, is integrated into Zimbabwe's public health system and has been piloted in Malawi, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Clinical studies have shown up to an 80% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety among participants. Since its inception, the initiative has supported over one million people and trained more than 3,000 community health workers across 12 countries. Friendship Bench Zimbabwe chief executive, Esther Tumbare, stated the award will strengthen efforts to reach underserved communities. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, chairperson of the prize selection committee, described Friendship Bench as "a model of African innovation with global relevance."
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by NewsDay Zimbabwe.
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