Who wouldn’t love to sit on a bench and talk with this sweet woman? Grandmothers can be the most sympathetic, understanding and approachable people in our lives.
That is the idea behind a simple and amazing mental-health approach that started in Zimbabwe two decades ago and is now being replicated in other countries. Grandmothers who want to volunteer take a course in “problem solving therapy” – learning how to help people find their own solutions – and then they serve by sitting on a FRIENDSHIP BENCH in the park. Anyone who feels sad or hopeless or overwhelmed can sit with a grandmother and get skilled mental health care. This makes mental health care comfortable and available. Both the people counselled and the grandmother-counsellors feel they reap great benefits from the program.
My little recap does not come close to describing this wonderful initiative adequately. Please check out this link that tells its inspiring story: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/02/opinion/group-grandmothers-zimbabwe-is-helping-world-reimagine-mental-health-care/
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I was sent this link by my dear friend Queenie Thompson. We were always looking at do-gooder projects. Years ago I got a hare-brained idea about how Fiji grandmothers could cause world peace; I even knew which public figure I thought would be ideal to sponsor it (don’t ask — ha ha!). Queenie always indulged me by listening to this stuff, and she remembered I’d had some “grandma” idea. So when she saw this article, she sent me the link right away – thinking I’d be excited. She was right.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll tell you about a do-gooder project of ours that actually came about!
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Day 11 – on the downhill slide now. I feel great. Hope you are all feeling great as well. Lots of love.
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O God, my God. Aid thou Thy trusted servants to have loving and tender hearts….
abdu’l-baha
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FFWR - Celebrating the Baha'i Calendar 