Zimbabwe, which has fewer than 20 psychiatrists serving a population of 15 million, started a mental health initiative with senior volunteers offering mental health help in the community. Not only did the initiative take off, but it has also been replicated in other African countries and elsewhere, including New York.
Sitting on a wooden Friendship Bench near primary healthcare clinics or safe community spaces, these community health workers, known as "grandmothers", counsel people who need help for common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
They have no medical background but have been trained to provide counselling, usually over six structured 45-minute sessions.
The Friendship Bench initiative was founded in 2006 by Dr Dixon Chibanda, a Zimbabwe-based psychiatrist, after he lost a patient to suicide. She was due for a review, but her family had no money for her to travel by bus to see him.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 14, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 14, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
HORSEBACK FISHING ALIVE IN BELGIUM
A fisherman on horseback drags his net in the sea to catch grey shrimp in Oostduinkerke in Belgium in October.
K-pop star Jessi cleared of charges in case of fan assault
South Korea-based American singer-rapper Jessi has been cleared of all charges in the case of a fan assault that took place in front of her.
S'pore movies Wonderland and A Year Of No Significance selected for China film festival
Two made-in-Singapore movies have been selected to take part in the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
JJ Lin's concert tour to return to Singapore in December
Home-grown Mandopop star JJ Lin is set to return to Singapore's National Stadium on Dec 28 and 29 for the second leg of his JJ20 World Tour.
Three charged in Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony in October, the Argentine authorities said on Nov 7.
Looks like a lion, purrs like a pussycat
The two-door Mercedes-AMG CLE53 appears stout and aggressive, but is a friendly and easy-to-drive car
Dramatic electric roadster bolsters MG's street cred
The Cyberster is a two-seater convertible that mixes brawn and beauty as well as value and efficiency
V12 performance and looks define new Aston Martin Vanquish
After a six-year hiatus, the Aston Martin Vanquish returns as a meaner and bigger grand tourer.
Lively and sublime all-French concert by Red Dot Baroque
The Tastes Reunited comes from the French phrase Les Gouts-reunis coined by Baroque composer Francois Couperin, referring to a glorious unification of Italian virtuosity and dramatics with French elegance and restraint in musical performance.
Golden age for parks in America
Cities are sprucing up waterfronts, transforming abandoned industrial sites and bringing green space to neighbourhoods
