For many, grandmothers represent comfort, wisdom and unwavering support. They are the cornerstones of families and communities and embody the qualities of empathy, understanding and compassion. The Friendship Bench organization discovered these qualities when it began training grandmothers to provide talk therapy in communities that lacked traditional mental health treatment.

Founded by Dr. Dixon Chibanda, The Friendship Bench recognized the unique role grandmothers play in their communities. Dr. Chibanda says, "Grandmothers are the gold standard in providing care. They have extraordinary empathy, deserve respect and understanding, and create a safe space for open dialog."

To expand the reach of the Friendship Bench program and ensure the quality of patient care, we have partnered with several organizations. One such partner is global pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, where Boehringer Ingelheim employee Giorgio Gatti leads a global team responsible for IT marketing and sales. Through the Creating More Health initiative, Giorgio connected with Friendship Bench and used his IT expertise to help the nonprofit manage data and scale operations.

Giorgio explains, "Friendship Bench's mission to make mental health care more accessible appealed to me, and I wanted to contribute my IT skills to support their cause." Serving as a mentor and playing a role in providing mental health services to underserved communities has been a gratifying experience."

The Friendship Bench program has had remarkable success using community resources to effectively treat depression. Dr. Dixon shared, "Six months after receiving talk therapy from the grandmothers, people no longer have symptoms of suicidal thoughts. This is especially important considering the alarming statistic that one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds.

The program also benefits grandmothers by providing them with a sense of purpose and reducing their feelings of isolation.

Friendship Bench's mission aligns with Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to growing the field of mental health and improving global health. The company is committed to supporting organizations like Friendship Bench that are dedicated to making a positive impact on the global community.