Our History

"Maithri" the first full-fledged suicide prevention center in Kerala became operational in June 1995. The center was a dream come true for those who have been working towards remedial measures for the growing suicide proneness among the people of the state. The volunteers of SNEHA, Chennai, helped in setting it up. It was SNEHA, which selected and trained our first batches of volunteers and mentored it in the initial phase. Dr. Lakshmi Vijaykumar and Ms. Mallika Gulvady and the other volunteers have made significant contributions here. Maithri was inaugurated at a well attended public function held in the Rajagiri High School auditorium on June 17th, 1995. The first visit caller to the center soon made his appearance.

In order to ensure that Maithri functioned with freedom and without interference from anyone, those who pioneered the movement created Maithri Foundation Trust and got it registered as a public charitable trust under the Indian Trusts Act, 1992. The following persons are the trustees of the Foundation:

1. Fr. Jose Alex, Director, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery - (President)

5. Dr. George Joseph, Psychiatrist, Kusumagiri Mental Health Center, Kakanad (Trustee)

Inauguration of Maithri and Suicide prevention with people’s participation :

The mounting suicide rates in the early nineties was a matter of concern for many. The Center for Health Care Research and Education organized a three-day national workshop on suicide proneness among the people of Kerala in August 1994. The workshop resolved to work towards setting up a suicide prevention center in Kochi. The search for a viable model for suicide prevention took us to Sneha, Chennai and to the Befrienders’ Movement. With the active support of Sneha, and the good wishes of numerous well-meaning friends Maithri was inaugurated on17th June, 1995. The first batch of had twenty two volunteers, selected and trained by Sneha.

The word Maithri means ‘friendship’- friendship it is that we offer to the lonely, desperate and suicidal fellow beings. The motto of Maithri is ‘suicide prevention with people’s participation.’

The patronage and support form the Rajagiri college of Social Sciences, Kalamassery proved to be a major strength of the nascent organization. This helped in dispelling the misgivings of the people with regard to the feasibility of organizing a suicide prevention programme. Maithri was promoted and initially supported by the Center for Health Care Research and Education, an extension department of the college. In the early phase, the project functioned from Sahrudaya building, on Rajagiri Road, Kalamassery owned by the Sacred Heart Province of the CMI congregation.

Along with the center-based crisis intervention programme Maithri has been conducting numerous public awareness campaigns. The message being promoted is that everyone can help to prevent a friend, family member, colleague or anybody else in distress from killing himself or herself. ‘Allowing a person to ventilate himself, and listening with empathy and concern will show positive results’ - is Maithri’s central message. Maithri has organized several public awareness programmes for teachers, community leaders, anganwady workers, students, general public at large etc. Jeevan Maithri has been such a project undertaken by the Maithri volunteers. Awareness sessions, exhibitions, training programmes etc. have been organized for different groups. Maithri has been receiving generous support of the media all along.

Any organization in Kerala wanting to organize awareness sessions for any group of people may get in touch with the Director of Maithri.

In the nine-year long history Maithri volunteers can identify several milestones which had shaped the organization’s destiny and at the same time shaped the suicide prevention movement in the state. The important milestones:

June 17th 1998: Jeevan Maithri launched.	October 17th, 1998: Befriending Centre shifted to Kochi City
May 1999: Round the clock vigil to help students in distress begun	November 19th, 1999: Befrienders India Conference hosted

June 17th, 1998 - Jeevan Maithri: Training program to identify suicide-risk launched:

The programme envisaged imparting skills to grassroots level workers like school teachers, local leaders, anganwady workers, religious personnel etc to identify those experiencing personal distress and befriending them. The essence of befriending is spending time with the distressed person, accepting him as he is, and offering him unconditional support .An out-reach program to train 75 persons of Kalamassery Municipality in skills to identify persons with suicide risk was launched in June 1998. The program was named "Jeevan Maithri" - meaning Life Friendship. Former Union Minister Late Mr. MM Thomas inaugurated the function.

A more recent initiative in 2002 of Maithri was the coordinated effort to conduct awareness programmes in every division of the Corporation of Kochi. The programme was launched at a well attended public function held in the Ernakulam Town Hall on 17^th June, 2002. The worshipful Mayor of Kochi, Shri. Dinesh Mani was the chief guest. It was significant that every such awareness session in the Corporation divisions was attended by the local councilor.

The questionnaire (in Malayalam) "Befriending Approaches for You" was developed in connection with Jeevan Maithri. It describes four real-life situations situations where one comes across persons undergoing emotional distress. The questionnaire gives an idea about the right approaches to be adopted towards individuals who are despairing and who may be suicidal also.

Initially, the befriending center was functioning at Sahridaya Building, Rajagiri Road, Kalamassery. As most of the callers and volunteers of Maithri came from the city, it was imperative that the center was shifted to a more accessible location. The volunteers’ dream came true on October 17th, 1998 when the Center started functioning from Vimalalayam Buildings, Ashirbhavan Road, Kacheripady, Kochi. Professor M K Sanu M.L.A. inaugurated the new home of Maithri and hailed it as "a social anchor for continuing interest in life".

Children's education has been a stress producing situation for the parents as well as the students in Kerala. Maithri volunteers had noticed that the stress levels peak at the time of examinations and the announcement of results. Publication of S.S.L.C. and C.B.S.E. X standard examination results has been one such occasion resulting in self inflicted deaths among students. From the year 1999 Maithri volunteers have been keeping a round the clock vigil at the center for one week, keeping our telephone lines open. This vigil has been found beneficial and every year on an average about 300 calls have been received from distressed students and parents. We have continued this service ever since.

Taking a cue from the experience of Maithri, every year crisis help lines become operational around the announcement of results. The volunteers are happy that their initiative has been a catalyst for the government and the NGOs to offer similar programmes. This program was received well by the media and the public at large. Befrienders International has commended this initiative as "creative". Read details.

This program is being continued every year during the time examination results are announced.

Volunteers at Maithri have always felt a sense of belonging to the larger Samaritans Movement. When Befrienders India chose Maithri to host their National Conference in Kochi, it was a great recognition bestowed on our small, young organisation. The trust and confidence reposed in us were indeed honoured and the conference was conducted with exemplary efficiency, during the 19th, 20th and 21st of November. Several individuals whose works pioneered suicide prevention in India attended - among them, Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar (Sneha, Chennai) and Ms. Mallika Gulwady (then President of Befrienders India).