Suicide Hotlines and Crisis Lines in Malawi

A helpline is a place to talk to someone when you are struggling, before or instead of a crisis. The lines on this page are answered by counsellors or health staff, depending on the service. If you are not in Malawi, the worldwide list is organised by country.

What you share is kept private in almost all cases; if a counsellor believes a life is in immediate danger, they may arrange urgent help. What each service costs is set out beside it below, because in Malawi only one of these numbers is published as toll-free.

TherapyRoute is a directory. We do not answer calls or messages ourselves, so please use the numbers below rather than contacting us if you need someone now.

CRISIS LINES, SUICIDE HOTLINES, AND HELPLINES IN MALAWI

Each number below was checked in August 2026 at the operating organisation's own website, or at a government page that publishes it.

Notice an error or a missing service? Please tell us so we can correct it.

Emergency numbers, and what each one is for

Tithandizane National Child Helpline, 116

GBV Crisis Line, 5600

Youth Helpline, 393

Drug and Substance Abuse Hotline, 6600

Zomba Mental Hospital, the psychiatric hospital route

Saint John of God Hospitaller Services, Mzuzu and Lilongwe

While you are waiting to be answered

If you are worried about someone else

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Emergency numbers, and what each one is for

Malawi has no single number that covers every emergency, and no three-digit mental health line. Different numbers reach different services.

Police: 997 or 990, and 0800 990 997

The Malawi Police Service publishes all three on its own site. Its words: "For emergencies, call us toll-free on 997". Its reporting page also says "You can report a crime anonymously through your telephone, your privacy or identity will not be revealed."

Ambulance: 998

Fire: 999

The ambulance and fire numbers are not published on any Malawi government page we could reach. They are taken from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice, a government source. Some unofficial listings reverse the two, so if one does not respond, try the other, or the police numbers above.

The same UK government page carries a caution worth knowing: "Emergency numbers are unreliable in Malawi". If a number does not answer, going directly to the nearest hospital is a real option.

Tithandizane National Child Helpline, 116

The four helplines in this article are all run by Youth Net and Counselling, a Malawian organisation known as YONECO, under the name Tithandizane Helpline Services. This one is the national child helpline, for children and young people in distress, including violence and abuse.

In the organisation's own words, "Tithandizane Child helpline service has national wide coverage.The helpline toll free number 116 is accessible in all the districts and available to all mobile network operators in Malawi namely MTL,TNM,Airtel and Access subcribers." Who answers the line is not stated on the organisation's pages.

Tel: 116

Hours: the organisation's two sites disagree. Its helpline site says "Monday- Sunday : 24 hours a day 7 days a week", while its main site says "Mon - Sat 24 Hours". We print both rather than guess.

Cost: toll-free, in the organisation's own words, on the MTL, TNM, Airtel and Access networks.

GBV Crisis Line, 5600

YONECO's crisis line for gender-based violence, named on its own site as the "GBV Crisis Line 5600". It is one of the national Tithandizane helpline services, reached on a short code like the child helpline.

Tel: 5600

Hours: "Mon - Sat 24 Hours" on the organisation's main site. Its helpline site's banner reads "24 Hours 7 days a week". We print both.

Cost: not published for this number. The organisation's toll-free statement is written for 116, so do not assume this call is free.

Youth Helpline, 393

YONECO's helpline for young people, named on its own site as "Youth Helpline 393". It is listed among the national Tithandizane helpline services, though the organisation publishes no separate page for it.

Tel: 393

Hours: "Mon - Sat 24 Hours", the organisation's stated working hours for its helpline services as a group.

Cost: not published.

Drug and Substance Abuse Hotline, 6600

YONECO's line for people affected by drug and substance use, named on its own sites as the "Drug and Substance Abuse Hotline 6600". It is listed among the national Tithandizane helpline services.

Tel: 6600

Hours: "Mon - Sat 24 Hours" on the organisation's main site; its helpline site's banner reads "24 Hours 7 days a week". We print both.

Cost: not published.

Zomba Mental Hospital, the psychiatric hospital route

Zomba Mental Hospital is Malawi's national referral psychiatric hospital, at Zomba. These are switchboard numbers for a hospital, not a counselling line, so this is the route for clinical psychiatric care rather than a call to talk.

Its own site says "Access professional help and resources at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

Tel: 0545358810

Tel: 0111624714

Tel: 0111624344

Hours: "Monday - Sunday, 24/7hrs", in the hospital's own words.

Cost: not published.

Saint John of God Hospitaller Services, Mzuzu and Lilongwe

A mental health and disability service running centres at Mzuzu and Lilongwe, with outpatient, outreach and domiciliary care. This is a clinical service to approach for treatment, not a crisis line; nothing on its site offers telephone counselling or out-of-hours crisis contact.

Tel, Mzuzu: +(265) 111 611 690 or +(265) 999 896 224

Tel, Lilongwe: +(265) 992 460 254 / 253

Hours: not published.

Cost: not published.

While you are waiting to be answered

A line that is open can still be busy, and Malawi's helplines each serve a stated group. If you are waiting, try to stay with someone you trust, or ask someone to sit with you until the call connects.

If you have anything near you that you could use to harm yourself, put it somewhere harder to reach, or ask someone else to hold it for you. Distance and time both help.

If waiting is not possible, dial 997 or 990, or go to a hospital emergency department. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to explain yourself well.

If you are worried about someone else

Ask them directly. Asking someone whether they are thinking of suicide does not put the idea there, and it often comes as a relief to be asked plainly.

Listen more than you advise. You do not need the right words, and you are not expected to fix anything.

If they are willing, offer to sit with them while they call one of the numbers above, or to make the call together. If they are in immediate danger, treat it as you would any medical emergency.

Supporting someone through this is heavy, and it is reasonable to want support of your own. The same lines are open to you.

For services in other countries, see the list of helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

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