Saving Sri Lanka from suicides

15 year long mission of CCC Foundation

Bikeathon commenced from Independence Square on August 29

“There are more than 11 people dying of suicide everyday while 20 more fail in their attempts to do so,” announced CCC Foundation, which introduced their 1333 helpline, Sri Lanka’s largest crisis support service with round the clock telephone services. Celebrating nearly 15 years of service in saving lives, the CCC Foundation, highlights three words that begin with “C” - Courage, Compassion and Commitment. At present, the helpline receives over 200 calls a day, which, if went unanswered, would lead to the unfortunate and untimely end of a number of precious lives in an island that had one of the highest suicide rates in the world several years ago. According to figures, few years prior to the year 2000, Sri Lanka’s suicide rate remained at 35 - 47 deaths per 100,000 persons.

“Sri Lanka likes breaking records. It had one of the highest suicide rates in the world in the mid-90s; it was somewhere around 24 suicides a day. Can you imagine that?” questioned Jetha Devapura, Founder and CEO of the CCC Foundation, who went on to describe his own psychological struggle back in Australia.

“About 30 years ago, I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and at that time, I was very embarrassed; I was ashamed to talk about it. I kept it away from my parents; I kept it away from my friends. And so rightly, because even in Australia at that time, mental illness wasn’t the most favourable thing to have. So, for about 10 years, I suffered in silence,” Devapura, whose brainchild is CCC, shared. Devapura’s family had migrated to Australia in 1978 and visits Sri Lanka now and then. 

According to Devapura, the CCC helpline was launched in December 2009, in a backdrop where nearly 6,500 suicides were recorded in 2000. Ten years later, in 2010, records showed nearly 5,400 deaths by suicide. 

He explained further that 24 daily deaths in the mid-90s, according to the World  Health Organisation (WHO) figures, had later dropped drastically over the past 20 years. 

“We wanted people to follow us. We wanted to travel the whole country. So let’s look at some statistics about suicide. And suicide is a number. It doesn’t happen overnight. It surfaces with lots of suffering, whether it be relationship issues, work, economic problems, illness or mental illness. Currently, we answer about 3,500 calls a month. We have over 90 volunteers, crisis supporters,” Devapura added. 

Even today in Sri Lanka, between 8 and 10 people lose their lives to suicide daily. For every person who dies by suicide, thirty more will be attempting self-harm. The primary goal of CCCLine 1333 is to empower individuals to recognise and address the social issues and stigma associated with mental illness that affect their emotional well-being, the organisation stated, while strongly encouraging those who need support to speak out about their problems which would enable CCCLine to address their issues and prevent an unfortunate death.

The crisis supporters of CCCLine 1333 are trained under the guidance of Lifeline International, ensuring high-quality assistance to those who reach out to them. The service which is available 24/7, free of charge via any telephone network, receives nearly 4000 calls monthly.

At present, CCCLine 1333 is the only 24/7 free crisis support line in the country, and last year it had received nearly 30,000 calls. The invaluable service of CCC has been further recognised by those struggling with suicide, one of the most traumatic psychological issues. Notably, just 8 months into the year, CCCLine has recorded a total of 40,000 calls.

“Our biggest challenge is to actually answer every call,” Devapura said, detailing the challenges the organisation is facing at present.

Background of CCC

CCC was originally founded with a project to help children undergoing treatment for cancer at the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama. 

From left: Pedal Pushes Founder Lalanthi Rajapakshe, Trustee CCC Foundation and Managing Director of ACL Cables Suren Madanayake, Chairman CCC Suresh Mendis, CCC Founder and CEO Jetha Devapura, Chief Distributing Officer Allianz Insurance Ranga Dias, and DFCC Director/CEO Thimal Perera 

- Pix by Nisal Baduge

 “We embarked on a project to make a transit home for children who were receiving treatment for cancer and who don’t have a place at the hospital. So they had to go home and come back, which they couldn’t do. So it was a tiny project of around 25 million,” said CCC Chairman Suresh Mendis.

However, the project had a huge impact, expanding to a 175 million project, bringing it into reality. At present, there are 196 beds with 45 rooms for kids where their parents too can accompany the child, Mendis explained.

“Ride to Save Lives”- 1333 Bikeathon 2024

Bikeathon 2024 is a major initiative aiming to spread awareness about the services provided by 1333, and to carry the message to the villages across Sri Lanka. This is a 13-day bicycle ride around Sri Lanka by more than 29 dedicated cyclists. Commencing from Independence Square on August 29, the cyclists will ride nearly 100 km each day to bring awareness on the importance of mental well-being and reducing deaths by suicide. 

The 13-day ride will complete around 1333 kilometres symbolically representing the telephone helpline “1333”. 

Bikeathon 2024 is supported by ACL Cables, Allianz Insurance, DFCC Bank and a number of other sponsors and well-wishers.