Nationwide Emotional Support
Connect and communicate
because we CARE
Welcome to Befrienders India. We provide emotional support to people in emotional crisis.
We believe in giving a person the opportunity to explore feelings which can cause distress. Our guiding principle stresses on the importance of people being listened to in confidence, anonymously, and without prejudice.
We value that a person has the fundamental decision about their own life.
About Us
Befrienders India was registered in November 1992. It is the nodal body which coordinates the activities of national helplines or member centres that are working towards suicide prevention.
There are currently 14 centres spread across India situated in Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Kochi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Secunderabad, Thiruvanthapuram, Pune, Goa, Thodupuzha, Calicut, and Bengaluru. All these centres offer befriending through face to face / telephonic / email / WhatsApp / postal interaction by volunteers.
Our Well wishers
There are direct / indirect donors and well-wishers, whose support enables us to serve at the grassroots level.
Background and Origin
Initially, the movement started as The Samaritans in the year 1953 to serve depressed and suicidal people in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Befrienders Worldwide was subsequently established in 1974 which expanded across other countries to provide this unconditional timely support through befriending.
Befrienders Worldwide operates through an international network of over 350 crisis helplines active in 35 countries on 5 continents. This global organisation encompasses communities around the world with access to volunteers trained to be available for those in despair and those feeling suicidal. Befrienders India is a part of this international network.
The main aim of the centers is to provide emotional support to people. The volunteers at these centers work to alleviate misery, loneliness, despair and depression by lending an empathetic ear to the callers. Suicide is an extreme form of expressing one’s feeling of depression, loneliness and helplessness. This translates to the conclusion that, “life is not worth living”. Emotional support offered with warmth and understanding at the time of personal crisis might avert the thought of suicide.
The volunteers running these centers are called befrienders, and are specially trained for the cause. Befrienders are non-political and non-religious. They do not try to impose their convictions on callers; they simply listen to them. The information of any individual coming in contact with a center - whether by telephone, letter, email or in a face-to-face meeting is kept strictly confidential. We respect the decision of callers to choose to remain anonymous – no personal details are asked for. We concentrate on the feelings of callers and are available to them for emotional support till the time they feel better. Our services are free of cost.
Voluntary Befriending
Befrienders India offers volunteer befriending. Befrienders India is manned by around 300+ dedicated volunteers offering a combined 1000 hours per week to help their fellow human beings without any expectations or personal rewards. They offer their time and themselves, so that the victims could vent out their feelings to them. The volunteers having basic qualities of warmth, tolerance and understanding are carefully selected and undergo preparatory courses before taking up volunteering services through us. They are also provided regular ongoing training sessions to help them assist people under emotional stress.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Funds are required to drum up publicity and awareness about the availability of such services to those who need them in time. Organizing and sensitizing society through regular training sessions and seminars across the country to detect signs of stress and emotional outbursts in the early stages respond adequately.
Publicity : Publicity by the centres needs to be carried out in a sustained manner so that there is awareness of the service in times of crisis.
Training : Fresh batches of volunteers need to be trained as well as regular on going training of existing volunteers’ needs to be conducted. Gatekeepers of society, like teachers, nurses, police personnel and other N.G.Os need to be trained to be sensitive to signs of emotional crisis in their wards and how to respond adequately to such situations.
Awareness : To run awareness programmes for schools, colleges, women groups, employees etc., to make the general public aware that emotional support is as important as social and material support.
Make a Donation
We welcome donations to Befrienders India.
You could make your contribution through cheque, DD.
Please email treasurer@befriendersindia.net with the details of your donation so we can ensure the money is directed appropriately.
Donation through e transation,bank details herewith;
Befrienders Charter
Aim of the network
The aim of the National network (Befrienders India) is to encourage the development of effective support services, and by sharing information and working together improve our ability to:
- ensure maximum access for callers to appropriate emotional support services
- demonstrate effective service policy and practice
- share information
- offer mutual support
- influence policy both internally and externally
- encourage appropriate research.
Mission
As member centres our mission is:
- to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide, and
- to share information and work together, for greater efficacy.
Vision
Our vision is for a society in which fewer people die by suicide, and where people are able to explore their own feelings, and acknowledge and respect the feelings of others.
Values
Our values are based on these beliefs:
- The importance of having the opportunity to explore difficult feelings.
- That being listened to, in confidence and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings.
- That everyone has the right to make fundamental decisions about their own life, including the decision to die by suicide (the application of which is dependent on the local context and legal system).
Key common principles of Member centres
- The primary purpose of centres is to provide emotional support to people who are suicidal, or in general distress.
- Centres are mainly resourced by volunteers..
- Anonymity and confidentiality are respected.
- Centres are non-political and non-sectarian, and volunteers do not seek to impose their own convictions on anyone.
- Volunteers are selected, trained, mentored and supported by other experienced volunteers and any necessary relevant professional experts.
- Where appropriate, callers may be invited to consider seeking professional help in addition to the emotional support offered by the centre.
- We are mutually supportive and committed to sharing information with fellow member centres, and participating in processes and activities of the network.