When you are experiencing a personal crisis, it’s critical that you speak to someone or reach out for help. But oftentimes fear of calling the helplines because you aren’t sure what will happen if you do call, keeps you away. Understanding what happens when you call the Befrienders can help ease your worries and make reaching out much easier.

Befrienders is a non-profit organization that provides emotional support to people who are lonely, in distress and despairing, including those with suicidal thoughts. Even if you are not suicidal but are overwhelmed by a loss (of a loved one, job, etc) or going through serious relationship issues, suffering from illness or any other personal dilemma, you can use our services. Rest assured that your call is important and there is someone who cares enough to listen.

All our volunteers are trained and each conversation is treated as strictly confidential. You can remain anonymous; not reveal your name. Once your call is answered, a caring and trained person will listen to you, learn about your situation by asking questions to generally understand how you feel, give you the time to share your problem and explore options if you feel lost about how to cope with the situation.

The goal of our hotline services is to help you by providing emotional support and prevent suicide. Will we call the authorities if you are suicidal? The answer is “No”, though our volunteers may try to gain your permission get help. Your life is always worth a phone call and every option is preferable to suicide.

Remember, people on the other end of the hotline are caring individuals and talking to them will be a positive experience.

If you’re troubled or in a crisis now, do not hesitate to call the Befrienders at any one of our 9 centres in Malaysia:

Befrienders Centre	Helpline	Service hours	Email for befriending
Penang	04-281 1108 / 281 5161	3pm – 12am Mon – Thurs 5pm – 11pm Sat & Sun	pat@befpen.org
Ipoh	05-547 7955/33	4pm – 12am Mon – Sat 24hrs on Sunday	–
Kuala Lumpur	03-7956 8145	24 hrs daily	sam@befrienders.org.my
Seremban	06-632 1772/3	7pm – 10pm daily	–
Malacca	06-284 2500	7pm – 12am daily
Muar	06-952 0313	8pm – 11pm daily	sam@befriendersmuar.org
Johor Bahru	07-331 2300	4pm – 12am daily	sam@befriendersjb.org
Kota Kinabalu	08-825 5788	7pm – 10pm daily	befrienderskk@gmail.com
Kuching	082-242800	6.30pm – 9.30pm daily