NPOwer Support Helpline -run by SADAG

NPO mental health support programme and 24-hour toll-free helpline — specifically designed for **NPO, NGO, and NPC workers and staff** in South Africa; run by SADAG; free; 24/7 *Who NPOwer serves:** This service is explicitly designed for people who **work for** NPOs, NGOs, and NPCs — i.e., GBV organisation staff, frontline workers, social workers, counsellors, volunteers, and administrative staff. It is NOT designed for GBV survivors in the general public seeking support (those should call 0800 428 428, LifeLine 0861 322 322, or SADAG directly). **Why NPOwer exists — the problem it addresses:** People who work in the NPO sector — social workers, counsellors, victim support workers, shelter staff, GBV response teams — carry enormous secondary trauma loads. They hear accounts of rape, murder, abuse, and child harm every day. They work in environments of chronic underfunding, staff shortages, and high burnout. They often have nowhere to turn for professional mental health support — their own organisations rarely have EAP programmes, and they may feel they should be "stronger than this" or that help-seeking is a sign of weakness. Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, and anxiety are endemic in the NPO/GBV sector. NPOwer was created to give this invisible workforce the support it needs. **Services:** - **24/7 toll-free helpline** (0800 515 515) — run by SADAG; all mental health concerns including trauma, burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation - **SMS support line** (43010) - **Online support group** — nationwide; for NPO workers; peer support community (bit.ly/NPOwer_SGM — confirm current link) - **Online webinars** — mental health topics relevant to NPO workers; recordings archived at npowersa.org/online-resources/webinars - **Mental health information resources** — self-help guides and resources on npowersa.org/mental-health-info - **Key NPO resources** — sector-specific tools and information (npowersa.org/online-resources/key-npo-resources) - **NPO village database** — join SADAG/NPOwer's NPO community for updates and connection - **Coffee Connect** — informal connection sessions for NPO workers **Note for website editors:** NPOwer should be listed in a **separate "For NPO staff and volunteers"** section or tab of the survivor website — its target audience is GBV sector workers, not GBV survivors. It is critical infrastructure for the organisations listed on this site to keep their staff mentally healthy and reduce sector burnout. Survivors should be directed to: SADAG crisis line (0800 567 567) / GBV Command Centre (0800 428 428) / LifeLine (0861 322 322)