Media Mentions

These grandparents sit on benches, ready to talk to strangers who need them - The Washington Post

The Washington Post · May 16, 2026

Zimbabwe’s Friendship Bench Wins Global Prize as Africa’s Community Mental Health Model Gains International Attention - Africa Sustainability Matters

Africa Sustainability Matters · May 15, 2026

Innovative Zimbabwean mental health initiative wins King Baudouin Foundation Africa Prize

thebulletin.be · May 13, 2026

From Zimbabwe To The World: Friendship... - Africa.com

Africa.com · May 13, 2026

KBF Africa Prize: The King Baudouin Foundation awards €250,000 to Friendship Bench, a Zimbabwe-founded model partnering with governments and

Zimbabwe's Friendship Bench Wins the 2026 KBF Africa Prize - streamlinefeed.co.ke

streamlinefeed.co.ke · May 07, 2026

A pioneering mental health model from Zimbabwe that uses wooden benches and community grandmothers has won the prestigious 2026 KBF …

Friendship Bench: Zimbabwe-founded mental health model wins global recognition - KBC Digital

KBC Digital · May 07, 2026

The King Baudouin Foundation has awarded the 2025 2026 KBF Africa Prize to Friendship Bench, a Zimbabwe founded model, in …

Zim’s ‘Grandmother’ therapy wins prestigious KBF Africa prize

Bing News: Friendship Bench · May 07, 2026

ZIMBABWE’S globally acclaimed mental health initiative, Friendship Bench, has been awarded the 2025-26 KBF Africa Prize by the King Baudouin …

Business: Friendship Bench awarded winner of the 2025-2026 K - NewVision.co.ug

NewVision.co.ug · May 06, 2026

Founded in 2006 by Professor Dixon Chibanda, Friendship Bench was created to bridge the mental health treatment gap at a …

The Grandmothers on the Front Line of Zimbabwe’s Mental Health Crisis - TriplePundit

TriplePundit · Apr 06, 2026

A DC program helps heal loneliness with volunteer grandparents listening on a friendship bench - WUSA9

WUSA9 · Apr 02, 2026

'We Just Listen' | The grandparents helping heal loneliness in DC - WUSA9

WUSA9 · Apr 02, 2026

'We Just Listen' | The grandparents helping heal loneliness in DC WUSA9

Grandparents lend an ear to help heal DC on the 'Friendship Bench' - WJLA

WJLA · Mar 30, 2026

Program trains volunteers to be a listening ear and provide a human connection

wqcs.org · Mar 12, 2026

Friendship Bench, UNESCO partner to expand mental health services to 52 Zimbabwe tertiary institutions - NewZimbabwe.com

NewZimbabwe.com · Mar 05, 2026

The Next Africa Zimbabwe’s flagship community mental health initiative, the Friendship Bench Zimbabwe, has entered a strategic partnership with UNESCO …

Nonprofit launching ‘Friendship Benches’ in Ottawa County for mental health support - MLive.com

MLive.com · Jan 07, 2026

Over £5m Wellcome funding to digitalise the Friendship Bench - King's College London

King's College London · Dec 15, 2025

Researchers have been awarded £5.3 million to optimise the digital version of the Friendship Bench mental health intervention for scale …

Grand Haven launches friendship bench pilot program to address mental health concerns - FOX 17 West Michigan News

FOX 17 West Michigan News · Dec 03, 2025

The Momentum Center is preparing for their new Friendship Bench Pilot Program, aimed at transforming everyday public spaces into places …

Momentum Center piloting new program focused on 'accessible' listening - The Holland Sentinel

The Holland Sentinel · Nov 28, 2025

The Momentum Center is launching a new mental health initiative: The Friendship Bench.

Meet the innovators closing persistent gaps in women's health - Devex

Devex · Nov 25, 2025

Tumbare appointed Friendship Bench chief executive - The Herald ZW

The Herald ZW · Oct 09, 2025

Remember Deketeke-Herald Correspondent THE Friendship Bench yesterday appointed Dr Esther Tumbare as its new chief executive, a move aimed at …

BBC World Service TV - Africa Eye , The Friendship Bench

bbc.co.uk · Oct 07, 2025

Global Mental Health Visionary to Deliver Keynote at International Conference on Eating Disorders in The Hague | Newswise - Newswise

Newswise · Sep 02, 2025

Global Mental Health Visionary to Deliver Keynote at International Conference on Eating Disorders in The Hague | Newswise Newswise

Breaking the silence: Mental health awareness among Zimbabwean youth - The Herald ZW

The Herald ZW · Aug 30, 2025

Langalihle Mhiti Youth Interactive Writer IN Zimbabwe, mental health has long been a taboo subject, shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding. …

Zimbabwe’s Friendship Bench - The Borgen Project

The Borgen Project · Aug 15, 2025

According to experts, scaling the Friendship Bench model further will depend on strong collaboration between Zimbabwe’s government...