16 Days Of Activism: LifeLine
LifeLine was established by a Methodist minister in 1963 in Australia.
It’s vision was to deliver a 24 hour care service for those in emotional distress.
The same concept then started in Cape Town, South Africa in 1968.
It then developed further to provide telephone counselling services to many around the country.
LifeLine's main focus is to support and develop people – enabling them to cope effectively with the effects of trauma.
The network also includes a diverse range of projects dealing with depression and other effects that could be as a result of trauma suffered.
Sheila Mathibe, a LifeLine supervisor in Johannesburg, says they receive about 500 calls a day.
Cases range from child support issues, sexual abuse and rape.
She says they often get calls from prison, with inmates talking about their issues.
Mathibe says they also offer a Stop Gender Based Violence Hotline that only focuses on gender abuse and domestic disputes.
She explains why their telephonic counselling sessions are effective.