Two Crises,
A Pathway to Purpose.
The environmental and mental health crises are universal and deeply connected. If humanity and earth are to heal, they must heal together.
Zimbabwe faces two overwhelming crises; the realms of mental health and environmental degradation affect us all. These crises are interlinked in many ways. They share the same roots. Disconnection. Extraction. Neglect. Purpose is eroded, communities fracture, the earth is scarred. And yet, a different path can be walked.
For the majority of Zimbabweans experiencing a mental health crisis, there is nowhere to turn. Stigma, fractured referral pathways, and a lack of trained professionals leave those struggling stranded. We are all affected in one way or another at some point in our lives.
Zimbabwe has just 18 psychiatrists for a population of 15 million — a ratio eighteen times below the WHO minimum, and 17 of those are based in Harare, leaving rural Zimbabwe effectively unserved. Mental health receives 0.42% of the national health budget, translating to a per capita spend of USD 0.13. ¹ An estimated 2,600 people die by suicide every year. ¹
Zimbabwe's environmental crisis permeates our lives. Every individual and community feels the effects of our degrading natural world. From deforestation and the scars of mining, to polluted drinking water and littered landscapes, across the country, the earth weeps.
Zimbabwe loses 262,000 hectares of forest every year. ² Over 150,000 informal settlements discharge raw sewage directly into Harare's waterways. ³ In December 2024, toxic algal blooms in Lake Chivero, fed by that pollution —killed 19 animals including rhinos, zebras and wildebeest. ³
We know, inherently, that we are inseparable from the earth that supports life. How then can we detach the human experience from our environment?
Our answer: we can't.
The Evidence
Solastalgia is a feeling of "the homesickness you have when you are still at home" ⁴ and is a form of eco-anxiety — one that encompasses the feeling associated with environmental destruction. As Zimbabweans, we relate to the despondency and hopelessness that arrives when we see our natural heritage destroyed. When mining ravages landscapes and algal blooms suffocate Lake Chivero, we feel it in our souls.
The Recovery Enhancing Environment measure ⁶ establishes that physical environments play a critical role in mental health recovery. Safety, meaningful activity, connection to nature, and social opportunity are not abstract ideas when it comes to mental health healing — but measurable contributors to outcomes.
The relationship between nature and emotional wellbeing is captured by Attention Restoration Theory, ⁵ which demonstrates that time spent in nature, or even looking at natural scenes, restores the brain from attention fatigue. One experiences this at the beach or watching a waterfall. We know this to be true.
Prescribing time in nature alongside conventional care began in New Zealand in the 1990s — the list of countries doing this is growing, as is the evidence base for its effectiveness. The concept of forest bathing, pioneered in Japan in the 1980s, has been gaining traction. Canadian researchers found that adding 10 trees to city blocks increased perceived mental wellbeing as much as a $10,000 salary increase. ⁷
The Gap Nzilala Fills
Too often, mental health struggles lead to crisis before intervention occurs. Crisis takes many forms — ultimately claiming lives. But what happens once a crisis is over? In Zimbabwe, very little. Nzilala exists to fill that gap. Our model is based on early intervention, crisis stabilisation, and a path to healing that incorporates both people and the environment.
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