Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter. This is important, and perhaps you do not even realize how much it may be important to you personally.
The Lifeline Ukraine Crisis
Lifeline Ukraine is the national suicide prevention hotline in our country, and it is at risk of closure. Almost every country in the world has a national suicide prevention hotline. Just two years ago, such a line did not exist in Ukraine. This, without a doubt, partially explains why Ukraine was at that time ranked 8th in the world in terms of suicide rates. But without financial support, our work will stop – Lifeline Ukraine will close.
Why is Lifeline Ukraine important to each of us?
We began our operations on October 14, 2019. Since then, we have received 14,216 calls or messages from people all over Ukraine seeking our support. No two calls are the same. The only standard phrase used on the hotline is 'Lifeline Ukraine, I'm listening,' when a call begins. We have said this 14,216 times.
Not all the calls we receive come from people in immediate danger. According to international standards, almost 12 percent of our calls are from people who intend and are capable of committing suicide at that very moment. The 1,649 people who, as we can say, were saved by the Lifeline Ukraine organization, could have been someone close to you. A loved one. A colleague. That lonely lady who is your neighbour.
We cannot look into the mind of another person. We do not know what battles someone is fighting. But suicide can affect you. It may have even already affected you.
Saved lives are part of the work we do
As I write this, a call is ongoing discussing family problems. In every case, when someone has dialled 7333 – our free number from all major mobile operators – we have helped someone get through a difficult moment in their life. All 14,216 calls are related to preventing the moment when someone decides to take their own life, as suicide is always the result of a combination of different factors. When we talk to a caller describing their loneliness, we are helping the person avoid an even worse emotional state. Each individual call is vitally important, and every person we've helped has felt this spirit from the people who work on our hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We were able to launch and manage Lifeline Ukraine thanks to the financial support of the British Embassy in Ukraine and the US State Department through IREX Ukraine. We managed to get another small grant from another important institution, which we will announce very soon. But our long-term and ongoing mission is at risk without securing other funding.
While I’m typing this letter, the second call starts. My colleague Slavyk, a pastor who has been with us since day one, doesn’t know what will happen next. His call proceeds in sequence with the call Andriy, a war veteran from eastern Ukraine, is taking.
Here are some facts about suicides, which are not only related to Ukraine:
- Worldwide, 800,000 people die by suicide every year,
- Each case of suicide affects a broader circle of people.
- Suicide is one of the most preventable causes of death.
Suicide is a preventable cause of death because suicidal thoughts are emotional in nature. At the same time, we all have a deeper survival instinct that is firmly embedded in our brains. What do my colleagues do when they help those who call «Lifeline Ukraine»? They listen to this person and help them move from a point of emotional crisis to a safer place where the survival instinct becomes dominant again.
If the Ukrainian national suicide prevention hotline closes, people will die. People will die. But these deaths can be prevented.
What can you do to help? Here are some thoughts and suggestions:
- If you have a large platform, don’t be indifferent to this message. Please share it. If you have a small platform, your share will also help spread this call.
- If you manage a corporate social responsibility department of a business, and this likely means you are responsible for PR, and if you have advertising expenses of several million dollars a year, how about directing some of these funds to support «Lifeline Ukraine»? Here’s what we’ll give you in return – 9,000,000 views on our social platforms annually, where your logo will be positioned next to ours.
- If you have influence over a wealthy businessperson, pass this letter on to them. Ask them to help us save the lives of our compatriots.
- If you know someone in charitable organizations, international humanitarian aid agencies, or diplomatic circles, where there are often grant budgets, please share this message with them.
- If you can make a donation to fund our work, and 93% of our regular operating costs are the salaries of Lifeline Ukraine team members, there is a donation button on our website and an open campaign on Spilnokosht.
(A few minutes ago the phone rang again – Andriy and Slavik are providing support.)
If you help us, you help many. Together we are strong.
The phone just rang again, and we said 'Lifeline Ukraine, I'm listening' 14,221 times. We cannot allow this important resource to close.