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MENTAL HEALTH When her son was arrested last year, Tambudzai Tembo's mind went to dark thoughts of suicide.

- Andy Simmons

GRANDMA'S LISTENING

"I was on my own," she told the Associated Press. But her country, Zimbabwe, has a unique approach to treating emotional distress: Elderly women, trained in basic problem-solving therapy, can be found sitting on benches in discreet locations, lending a sympathetic ear.

Zimbabwean grandmothers have always been a source of strength in rough times. "Grandmothers are the custodians of local culture and wisdom," says Dixon Chibanda, director of the African Mental Health Research Initiative. "They have an amazing ability to use what we call 'expressed empathy' to make people feel respected and understood." In 2023 alone, more than 2,00,000 troubled souls sought help from the elderly women. The concept is so popular that it is being tested abroad in Vietnam, Botswana, London and New York City.

"People are no longer ashamed or afraid of openly stopping us on the streets and ask us to talk," Siridzayi Dzukwa, the grandmother who talked Tembo out of suicide, says. "Mental health is no longer something to be ashamed of."