Zimbabwe

Contact

Maureen Tshuma
Lead Researcher, CST-Z Adaptation, Zimbabwe
CREATE PhD Fellow https://www.create-phd.org/fellows
Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS, UK)
The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU-ZIM), Biomedical Research Training Institute (BRTI)
Email: maureen.tshuma@gmail.com

Professor Celia L. Gregson
Principal Investigator, KOSHESAI Study
University of Bristol, UK
The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe (THRU-ZIM), Biomedical Research Training Institute (BRTI)
Email: Celia.Gregson@bristol.ac.uk
Profile: University of Bristol – Professor Celia Gregson

CST Research Projects

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy was first adapted for Zimbabwe through doctoral research by Maureen Tshuma, resulting in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Zimbabwe (CST-Z). The adaptation was conducted within the KOSHESAI study (https://www.thruzim.org/ageing-health/koshesai), a NIHR/UK MRC funded community-based ageing and health research programme, and marks the first time a structured cognitive intervention for people living with dementia has been formally developed and implemented in Zimbabwe.

The CST-Z adaptation process was rigorous and participatory, drawing on:

Six online consultative meetings with CST experts from Tanzania, India, and Nigeria, who shared their experiences of adapting CST in their respective settings;
A participatory workshop with the Zimbabwe Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Association (ZARDA);
Two participatory workshops with older people to assess the cultural appropriateness, generational relevance, and acceptability of the adapted content; and
A three-day in-country visit by Dr Stella-Maria Paddick in October 2024, whose expert input helped finalise the CST-Z manual.

CST-Z was embedded within the Healthy-Minds peer-support intervention, a 16-week community-based programme integrating CST-Z, dementia awareness and information sharing, and group physical activity. The intervention was delivered by trained non-specialist community facilitators in community halls, once weekly for one to two hours. The programme has since been extended to the rural community of Murewa in 2026.

In February 2026, a national CST-Z Training of Trainers (ToT) programme was delivered over five days (9-13 February 2026), bringing together 52 participants from 12 organisations across government institutions, healthcare facilities, academic institutions, and civil society organisations. Certified trainers are now equipped to deliver and train others in CST-Z, and a CST-Z Network has been formally established, providing a national governance and coordination structure for ongoing implementation, quality assurance, and scale-up across Zimbabwe. https://www.thruzim.org/post/national-cognitive-stimulation-therapy-cst-z-training-of-trainers-held-in-harare

Public engagement efforts have included wider dementia community sensitisation programmes and a four-part DemTalks radio series (May 2026), broadcast in collaboration with Professor Celia Gregson to raise public awareness of dementia and cognitive health across Zimbabwe. Recordings are available at: https://www.create-phd.org/about-1.

Translation of the CST Manual

The CST manual has been adapted from CST-UK International into CST-Z (Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Zimbabwe), currently available in English and Shona. The adaptation is unpublished. For further information or to request a copy, please contact Maureen Tshuma at maureen.tshuma@gmail.com.

Publications

A manuscript documenting the CST-Z adaptation and implementation is currently in draft. This section will be updated upon publication.

Conference presentations:
Tshuma, M. (December, 2024). An intervention for people with cognitive impairment: Adaptation of the Cognitive Stimulation Therapy manual for use across Zimbabwe. Paper presented at the Dementia and Brain Age in LMICs Conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 3-7 December 2024.

Tshuma, M. (May, 2026). Building human capital for healthy ageing: Development, implementation and evaluation of a community-based cognitive and mental health intervention for older adults in urban Zimbabwe. Paper presented at the University of Zimbabwe 2026 Research, Innovation & Industrialisation Week, Harare, Zimbabwe, April 2026. Sub-theme: Human capital development in the heritage-based education 5.0 era.