ZIMBABWE’S globally acclaimed mental health initiative, Friendship Bench, has been awarded the 2025-26 KBF Africa Prize by the King Baudouin Foundation.
The award, to be presented today at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium, comes with a €250 000 grant and access to an international network of partners.
Founded in 2006 by Zimbabwean psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda, Friendship Bench was developed to address the country’s severe mental health treatment gap.
The initiative trains community-based lay health workers known as “Grandmothers” to provide structured talk therapy in safe, accessible spaces such as park benches.
Zimbabwe has only about 18 psychiatrists serving a population exceeding 16 million, with less than one percent of the national health budget allocated to mental health services.
Up to 70% of people with mental health conditions receive no formal support.
Chibanda said the recognition would help to expand access to care.
“Too many people are left without life-saving support due to stigma, cost or distance,” Chibanda said.
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“This important recognition will allow us to reach thousands more people and help to build a world where mental healthcare is within reach for everyone.”
The programme costs between US$13 and US$16,50 per client and is fully integrated into Zimbabwe’s public health system through partnerships with the Health and Child Care ministry.
Beyond Zimbabwe, Friendship Bench 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, said the award would strengthen efforts to reach underserved communities.
Chairperson of the prize selection committee, Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, described Friendship Bench as “a model of African innovation with global relevance. What began in Zimbabwe is now influencing how mental healthcare can be delivered around the world”.
King Baudouin Foundation chief executive, Brieuc Van Damme, said the foundation looked beyond Belgium’s borders for 50 years.
“We believe meaningful change begins with people who turn ideas into action, wherever they are.”
The KBF Africa Prize is awarded to African organisations leading sustainable, locally driven solutions to major development challenges.
At a time when an estimated 150 million people in Africa are affected by mental health conditions, the award recognises Friendship Bench’s role in expanding access to affordable, scalable care while strengthening health systems.
