Friendship Bench

The published figures

Every figure below is copied exactly as the evaluator published it, with a link to the source.

A WELLBY is the Happier Lives Institute's unit of wellbeing: one point of life satisfaction, on a scale from 0 to 10, for one person for one year.

Cost-effectiveness figures are modeled, not guaranteed.

How strong is the evidence?

Low to moderate, according to Happier Lives Institute.

This is the Happier Lives Institute's own rating of the quality of the evidence.

HLI rates quality of evidence low–moderate: meta-analysis plus four Friendship Bench randomized trials and monitoring data pre-post.

What the evaluator is unsure about

• Friendship Bench's randomized trials: some or high risk of bias in half of studies; moderate imprecision and inconsistency.
• Monitoring data synthetic control provides limited information; potential substantial bias.
• Future research could update evaluation.

More on problem-solving therapy

Can it use more money?

The Happier Lives Institute lists a funding gap of $3,900,000 for Friendship Bench: roughly how much more it could use well right now without lowering its cost-effectiveness (as of October 1, 2026).

Source: Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab)

Ways to give

It is registered outside the United States, so U.S. tax rules may not apply. Please check with your tax advisor.

Did it work? Our follow-up

We keep a permanent, dated record of what Happier Lives Institute published, and we will check it again against Happier Lives Institute's later updates. That is how, over time, we can tell you whether the estimates held up.

• 48.52 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated

  Recorded October 21, 2026 · re-check after October 1, 2027

  Waiting for the re-check See the record: wellbys per $1,000

Status: waiting for the scheduled re-check. A record is a promise to look again, not a measured result. All follow-up records

Questions donors ask

Is Friendship Bench a good charity?

Happier Lives Institute Top Charity. Offers one-to-one problem-solving therapy for people struggling with their mental health, delivered by trained lay health workers in Zimbabwe. We don't rate charities ourselves; we report what independent evaluators publish, with links so you can check.

How much good does a donation to Friendship Bench do?

The Happier Lives Institute estimates 48.52 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated. A WELLBY is the Happier Lives Institute's unit of wellbeing: one point of life satisfaction, on a scale from 0 to 10, for one person for one year. The figure is modeled, not guaranteed.

Is a donation to Friendship Bench tax-deductible?

It is registered outside the United States, so U.S. tax rules may not apply. Please check with your tax advisor. Nothing here is tax advice.

Does Did it work? take a cut or get paid for listing this charity?

No. We don't take, hold or route donations, we don't charge charities, and no one can pay to change what we show.

How current is this?

We last reviewed this charity's record on October 1, 2026. Evaluators update their figures, so check the linked sources before a large gift.