Large demand for the Church ‘SOS’ at Christmastime

Young girl in her teens sitting in the sofa and checks his cell phone.Photo : Thomas Brun / NTB scanpix

The Church SOS answered 2,331 requests at Christmas this year, which is slightly more than last year.

‘We are very pleased that we have been available to talk to people on the phone throughout Christmas’, said Secretary General, Leif Jarle Theis, of Church SOS to Dagens Næringsliv newspaper.

Theis says that from the 22nd to the 27th of December, the Church SOS answered a total 2,331 calls, which is about 100 more than in the same period last year.

On average, this was about 390 enquiries per day. In addition, it answered 126 chat messages, and 96 anonymous SOS messages via the Church SOS’ website during the same period.

The Church SOS, which serves as the country’s largest hotline, had about 40 volunteers on telephone duty, daily, at Christmas.

‘We received the most calls on Christmas Eve. For many people this is a difficult day, with the holidays approaching. More people experience thoughts and feelings that make them dread Christmas, or they are lonely’, said Theis.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today