The Greenlandic telephone counselling service Tusaannga (‘Listen to me’), which was introduced on 1 February 2019, has been a success, according to broadcaster KNR.

Since its introduction in February, there has been one phone number and one SMS number to which people in need of counselling can reach out. The helpline aims to assist people who need to speak with someone about issues they do not feel they can get help with from their everyday social contacts or in their local community.

During its first months of operations, the Tusaannga helpline has received nearly 500 calls, and statistics show that women and girls constitute a majority of the users. 74 percent of callers claim that their call has been helpful, and 87 percent praise the counselors on the helpline, according to Greenland’s health minister (naalakkersuisut) Martha Abelsen.