Volunteer Information

Volunteer is a person who provides emotional support to individuals in crisis, who may be in danger of taking their own lives. 

The Essential Quality expected of a volunteer is friendliness towards anyone in distress. A volunteer has the time, willingness and abilities to listen to anyone who has sought help. A volunteer responds to a suicidal person as a friend, on an equal level, with unconditional, uncritical acceptance and respect. Besides, volunteers are able to keep confidentiality and do not impose their own convictions on anyone else.

Volunteers are trained by senior volunteers in the skills required. They are also continuously supported and guided during the course of their work with suicidal people.

Volunteers do not expect anything in return for the functions they carry out. Their services at the Centre are offered as contributions. They do not stand to gain monetarily or otherwise through their association with the Centre.

Volunteers are non-specialists. That is, they are not medical personnel, counselors, psychotherapists or psychologists. They are ordinary people trained to respond to individuals in crisis. Their services are not meant to replace professional help.

Maithri's Volunteers: There are at present forty-two volunteers associated with Maithri. 

The questionnaire (in Malayalam) "Befriending Approaches For You", describes four real-life situations where one comes across persons undergoing emotional distress. Each situation is provided with three choices for your responses, and you to select one from them. Download "Befriending Approaches for You" in PDF format.

Want to join Maithri as a volunteer?