YOUTH PLEASE CALL ME..

Imagine a young woman who has just been diagnosed HIV-positive and is filled with fear, or a young man from an abusive background who feels his world is falling apart and wants to commit suicide. There is help for such troubled young people - loveLife is throwing them a life-line with a new call-back service. The service is supported by the Department of Health, as well as the Department of Social Development.

Over the years, many troubled young South Africans have called loveLife's toll-free Youth Line, seeking help from professional counsellors at the call centre. In addition to counselling services, young people can also get information on issues like sexual health, life skills or study opportunities.

First of its kind

Because of the high volumes of calls handled by the call centre and long waiting periods, loveLife decided to add a 'please-call-me' service to its Youth Line. This means callers who cannot be helped immediately, can just send a 'please call me' message to the line, and a counsellor will call them back.

The call-back service is the first of its kind for a call centre in South Africa. Through the service, loveLife is able to reach large numbers of young people since a huge percentage of young South Africans own mobile phones. It is part of loveLife's efforts to reach more young people, especially those in poor communities.

Free of charge

The service is free and simple to use. All you need to do is send a please-call-me message to service-specific numbers connected to the loveLife Youth Line. You will then receive a message confirming receipt of your message. Your number will be added to a queuing system and the system will phone you back so that you can chat to a counsellor.

- Mbulelo Baloyi