Since its inception in December 2009, CCCline 1333 has been steadily moving forward towards its goal of being a credible, accessible, and the most utilised telephone counselling service in Sri Lanka. CCCline 1333 is a free and confidential telephone counselling service to encourage people to talk about their problems, whether they be personal, relationship, or family issues, schools or work worries, mental illness, or suicidal thoughts. CCCline 1333 was established by the Courage Compassion Commitment (CCC) Foundation in partnership with Lifeline in Australia and the National Institute of Mental Health in Angoda, Sri Lanka. The CCC Foundation was established in 2003 with offices in Sri Lanka and Australia. It is a registered not-for-profit charitable organisation run by voluntary committees in Sri Lanka and Australia (Melbourne), where all funds raised goes directly to its projects.
The CCC Foundation, in order to raise awareness for their cause, is hosting their annual bikeathon. The ride will start on 29 August 2021 from Independence Square in Colombo and conclude on 10 September 2021 at the Independence square followed by an event to welcome the riders and commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day. There will also be several events to welcome the riders and create awareness at each destination throughout the ride. A special candlelight ceremony will be held on 10 September for World Suicide Prevention Day. This ceremony is to remember loved ones, and to celebrate life with the survivors of suicide.
Speaking to CCCline Manager Ranil Thilakarathne on the drive behind this project, he commented: “The purpose of the 1333 bikeathon is to create national awareness of the 1333 toll free number in Sri Lanka and raise funds to sustain and expand its operations.”
The 1333 bikeathon will consist of the main bike ride over 1333 kilometres in 13 days around Sri Lanka. The 1333 Bikeathon is not a race, therefore anyone whether they are casual, frequent, or professional riders are encouraged to participate to raise awareness and funds for 1333, the 24-hour, confidential, and toll-free crisis support service aimed at preventing suicide in Sri Lanka. This year, Thilakarathne explained that all the participants will be locals, as the pandemic has prevented them from receiving foreign participants.
Talking about why they decided on initiating the programme, Thilakarathne revealed some concerning numbers about the suicide rates in Sri Lanka. “The reason we do the ride is there are 10 to 12 people who die by suicide everyday (that are reported) and over 100 attempts per day in Sri Lanka with a population of 21.8 million. In 2020, the suicide rate was 14.7 per 100,000. Even though the number of deaths have dropped down from 57 (in 1996) to 14.7 (in 2020) per 100,000 the attempts are still high.”
With the numbers soaring high, it is more important than ever to raise awareness for mental health and help prevent these tragic deaths that occur due to lack of awareness in the country. This is why services like 1333 are much needed in Sri Lanka. “The ultimate aim of CCCline 1333 is to prevent suicide in Sri Lanka through education, engagement, and empowerment to break the stigma attached to mental illness and some social issues,” concluded Thilakarathne on the topic of the staggering suicide rates in the country.
He also informed us that unfortunately, they couldn’t add any new events this year due to the pandemic, but told us to look forward to next year where they have many exciting events planned and much more on the horizon.
BOX
Tickets are available at www.1333.lk
Call to register on +94 777595894
For more details, please visit https://1333.lk/home/bikeathon/
The CCC Foundation, in order to raise awareness for their cause, is hosting their annual bikeathon. The ride will start on 29 August 2021 from Independence Square in Colombo and conclude on 10 September 2021 at the Independence square followed by an event to welcome the riders and commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day. There will also be several events to welcome the riders and create awareness at each destination throughout the ride. A special candlelight ceremony will be held on 10 September for World Suicide Prevention Day. This ceremony is to remember loved ones, and to celebrate life with the survivors of suicide.
Speaking to CCCline Manager Ranil Thilakarathne on the drive behind this project, he commented: “The purpose of the 1333 bikeathon is to create national awareness of the 1333 toll free number in Sri Lanka and raise funds to sustain and expand its operations.”
The 1333 bikeathon will consist of the main bike ride over 1333 kilometres in 13 days around Sri Lanka. The 1333 Bikeathon is not a race, therefore anyone whether they are casual, frequent, or professional riders are encouraged to participate to raise awareness and funds for 1333, the 24-hour, confidential, and toll-free crisis support service aimed at preventing suicide in Sri Lanka. This year, Thilakarathne explained that all the participants will be locals, as the pandemic has prevented them from receiving foreign participants.
Talking about why they decided on initiating the programme, Thilakarathne revealed some concerning numbers about the suicide rates in Sri Lanka. “The reason we do the ride is there are 10 to 12 people who die by suicide everyday (that are reported) and over 100 attempts per day in Sri Lanka with a population of 21.8 million. In 2020, the suicide rate was 14.7 per 100,000. Even though the number of deaths have dropped down from 57 (in 1996) to 14.7 (in 2020) per 100,000 the attempts are still high.”
With the numbers soaring high, it is more important than ever to raise awareness for mental health and help prevent these tragic deaths that occur due to lack of awareness in the country. This is why services like 1333 are much needed in Sri Lanka. “The ultimate aim of CCCline 1333 is to prevent suicide in Sri Lanka through education, engagement, and empowerment to break the stigma attached to mental illness and some social issues,” concluded Thilakarathne on the topic of the staggering suicide rates in the country.
He also informed us that unfortunately, they couldn’t add any new events this year due to the pandemic, but told us to look forward to next year where they have many exciting events planned and much more on the horizon.
BOX
Tickets are available at www.1333.lk
Call to register on +94 777595894
For more details, please visit https://1333.lk/home/bikeathon/