Training the Elderly to Fill the Mental Health Worker Gap

The Friendship Bench project is an evidence-based intervention developed in Zimbabwe to bridge the mental health treatment gap.

Health experts say globally there has been an increase in anxiety and depression as people struggle to cope with COVID-19 and job losses. Some grandmothers in Zimbabwe are offering free therapy sessions to tackle these mental health difficulties during the coronavirus lockdown. This is part of an initiative called the Friendship Bench.