In 2007 Past President Robert Fisher and Myra inherited an elegant 90-year old residence that stands on a sizeable block in a suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, with lovely gardens secured by tall trees. After some years of maintaining and letting the property, it was decided to try and identify a charity that would make good use of it. With the help of Rotary connections in Zimbabwe, and the Australian embassy in Harare, The Friendship Bench was eventually selected from a pool of over 20 NFPs that submitted proposals, and legal transfer was completed in 2021.
Following independence in 1980, Zimbabwe experienced a sharp economic decline. The banking sector collapsed, with farmers unable to obtain loans for capital development. Food and manufacturing output fell markedly in the first decade of this century. Persistent inflation, dependence on low-productivity agriculture, slow structural transformation, along with drought, other natural disasters and the recent pandemic have all contributed to a high rate of poverty and vulnerability among the majority of Zimbabweans.
The Friendship Bench (friendshipbenchzimbabwe.org/) was founded in 2019 by Prof Dixon Chibanda with the mission of getting people out of depression and anxiety by creating safe spaces and a sense of belonging in their community, thereby improving their mental wellbeing and enhancing their quality of life. This is achieved by training grandmothers (who are highly respected in the African culture) to a basic level of mental health understanding. They literally sit on a bench with a client, hear their story, and encourage them through their affliction. Should they need more professional help, they are referred to an appropriate agency. The model has already been replicated in a number of other countries such as Malawi, Tanzania and USA.
It has taken The Friendship Bench three years to secure local authority approvals, and to start the renovation of the property for its new purpose: a wellness centre, to be known as The Friendship Bench Hub. Robert and Myra visited the site in August, and were delighted to find that an enormous amount of work had been completed under the supervision of two volunteer project managers, with most materials being repurposed, so that in large measure costs had been limited to the labour involved. There is a specific purpose for each room in the house, and the outbuildings.
Some US$15,000 was still required to complete the conversion and open the Hub to the community. Rotary Melbourne has made this possible with a generous contribution that has been privately matched.
This project, which will now be finished within weeks, is designed to enhance community connectedness and resilience. It is a small beacon of light in an environment of general darkness. The Friendship Bench Hub will create a safe space where people can connect with others, recover from addiction, benefit from lived experience and learn about self-care. Talk, art, play, theatre, dance and music will all be used in the process. The Hub will double as a training and research centre for new fields of mental wellbeing.
Click here to read the latest brochure from The Friendship Bench.
Watch the trailer of the new documentary by SeaLion Films about The Friendship Bench:
Click on the photos below to view the gallery.
