Campaign Story

“Linja e Jetës” is Kosova’s only Suicide Prevention Hotline – and we need your help to reach out to those in need!

Who are we?

“Linja e Jetës” is a suicide prevention hotline established in November 2019 by the NGO QIPS. It is currently the only such emergency service that works primarily with those struggling with thoughts of suicide. “Linja e Jetës” is active every day from 18:00 to 02:00 (during holidays as well). In the hotline, 29 volunteers have been trained to use methods taught to us by “113”, the hotline in the Netherlands. During a call, volunteers focus on de-escalation and emotional support to provide short-term aid to the caller which allows them to rationally assess the situation they are in. Later on during the call, we also direct them to long-term aid in the form of trusted psychotherapists and psychiatrists.

In Kosova, one of the largest factors that influences someone’s ability to seek help is the stigma surrounding mental health. Often those in need of help continuously suppress themselves due to reactions from family or friends and a general disregard to their hardships. This results in them not searching for options out of fear of being labeled as “ungrateful” or “insane”, or being limited due to having to battle the mental strain of suicidal thoughts while also searching for aid in secret. With the onset of COVID-19, these problems have only been exacerbated, as those already struggling were cut off from their support systems and found new challenges in having to cope with the fear of a global pandemic.

Every day, those with thoughts of suicide struggle to find support from their loved ones, either due to the fear they have of opening up, or due to feeling like a burden. Further obstacles to finding appropriate mental health care in the form of therapy, originating from a deep-rooted stigma which labels them as “crazy”, can leave them feel trapped and makes suicide seem an appealing choice. This is why our service is so essential, as it provides a safe and anonymous environment for our callers to unload their burdens and be directed towards long-term professional mental health care.

With this in mind, our team is motivated to doing their best every time they take up the phone. We feel privileged to be able to aid our callers in their darkest moments and to remind them that there is always someone ready to listen without judgement.

We at “Linja e Jetes” believe strongly in the right of every person to be heard and to have someone to rely on. Our volunteers are ready and willing to provide emotional support to those in need in a completely anonymous and confidential setting. We are at the forefront of the fight against suicide and will be continuing to advocate for the rights of those who struggle with these thoughts.

According to police reports, for the past 20 years there have been more than 1000 suicides in Kosovo and over 3000 attempted suicides. On average this amounts to about 1 suicide per week in the past 20 years. In the first half of 2020 alone there have been 18 suicides and 53 attempts. Help us, as we continue to work towards a Kosovo where these numbers will lower.

How will your support help? (Results)

We will implement training for active volunteers by our partners at 113 (Netherlands hotline) to improve and advance our techniques for daily basis activities. Each week for 12 months we will facilitate group therapy for our volunteers and their wellbeing. Furthermore, we will invest on space interventions and equipment and with our increased capacity and our volunteer’s strategies, we will begin to see a drop in suicide rates. We will prepare various physical/online campaigns to push for a Kosovo where suicide and mental health can be discussed without an attached stigma, parallelly as a response to Covid-19, where we address these issues in communities that are suffering from both physical and mental ill-being.

Dear backer,

We hope this message finds you well!

Thanks to your support our campaign had a very good start: With 50 backers we reached EUR 4284 within the first nine days, and have thus come very close to our first milestone of 35% of our funding goal. Thank you for your interest and trust in our work and for your valuable support!

The team of “Linja e Jetës” is fully engaged each day to help those struggling with thoughts of suicide. In parallel, by spreading the word, hopefully also with your help, we strive to find in the next four weeks another 100 to 150 backers to make our campaign a full success. This will help us improve our capacities and methodology, protect our volunteers and gives our work, in general, a sound and sustainable perspective.

This campaign has been a long on-going project and we are really excited that it’s out and that it has captured your interest. Sadly, we must also inform you of a slight hiccup on our part as we were building it. Firstly, the campaign has been planned for a few months now, during which we have had the amazing fortune of receiving aid from the German Embassy in Prishtina. Thanks to their support, we will be able to train the necessary volunteers required to achieve full functionality for Linja e Jetes. Unfortunately, in our haste to launch the campaign, the “Results” section was not updated to reflect this change. Due to our internal policies, strong commitment to transparency and in honor of your trust in us, we felt the need to inform you of this mistake accordingly.

The text in the “Results” section was adapted to reflect this slight shift, though it is important to note that all collected funds will be spent exactly as was planned in the budget. No practical change has occurred to the way the funds will be spent, we merely adapted the description to be more in line with the actual results of your support.

With that said, we are thankful for your continued faith in us, and hope this can continue ever onwards. Together, we believe that we can make a significant positive impact in Kosovo for those struggling with their mental health.

Thank you on behalf of the entire “Linja e Jetës” staff members.

Best regards,

Linja e Jetës

What do we need?