Many people are traumatised by despair, and feel themselves falling into a bottomless black pit. These emotions may be caused by grief, stress, or abuse. For the last decade, the Cyprus Samaritans has been lending a listening ear and providing confidential relief to all those in need.
At present they operate a four-hour nightly telephone service but at an open morning on Saturday they are hoping to recruit new listening volunteers to enable them to extend these times.
“At the Samaritans, we provide a listening service for people who are suffering. This could be because of abuse or due to emotional reasons. We’re all made differently, and can cope with certain levels of stress,” deputy director of the Cyprus Samaritans, Bob Windsor said.
“All we do is listen. We are non- judgemental and the service is confidential. People open up to us, and are able to talk about their problems and feelings. By listening, we are giving them support. It’s as if our arms are coming down the telephone line to hug them. This is all we can do, to listen. But it really does help.”
In total, the group has about 30 listening volunteers in Paphos in addition to other volunteers who work in the charity shop, their only form of income. “We’re a registered charity, and we’re running at a loss. We would like to update the shop and have more available staff,” Windsor said. “Currently we can only man our telephone line between 6 and 10 every night. We urgently need to expand this”. This is why the group is launching a recruitment drive.
“We’re asking for people who are good at listening, and can do so without judging or giving advice. This is a hard thing to do. We need people with four hours to spare a week, and who will complete three days of training.”
Anyone showing some interest on Saturday will then be invited to an introduction day on October 4, where they will find out if they’re really suited to being a volunteer, and the Samaritans will assess them. Training will take place on October 11, 18 and November 1. It will consist of various parts including, role-playing and watching relevant videos.
“It can be hard to draw someone out of their shell and get them to talk to you. We often have silent calls, and it may take people a lot of courage to speak out. You must always listen very carefully to what is being said, and some people need to talk at great length. Often calls will last an hour and a half.
“If we’re good and do our job properly, the person will come to conclusions by themselves, and feel much better,” Wilson added.
“The worst scenario, which thankfully has never happened to me, but I know has happened in the UK, would be to have someone call and state they’re going to take their life while they’re on the phone. We do as much as we can.”
Windsor said it can be very upsetting which is why Samaritans always work in pairs and have a leader on the end of a phone. New trainees also have a mentor.
While a lot of the calls handled by the Cyprus Samaritans are from the British population, Wilson said the majority are from Cypriots, many of whom are in turmoil about being gay.
“It’s very sad. They go from being loved and cherished children to being disowned by their family with no one to turn to.”
And the call for more volunteers is not just going out to the expat community. “We need more Greek speaking volunteers, and ultimately will require about 14 or more, as we work in pairs. It’s has been difficult to do this so far, as so many Cypriots keep themselves to themselves, and don’t speak about troubles to those outside their families.
“In addition, we don’t receive any help whatsoever from the Cyprus authorities. We would like to go into prisons and schools. So many children in Cyprus, as with other countries, are suffering from bullying and peer pressure. But as we aren’t recognised as a qualified body, it’s impossible to get help.”
The Samaritans open morning will be held on Saturday September 6 between 9.15am and midday at the UKCA club in Paphos. Cyprus Samaritans PO Box 61270, 8132 Paphos. Tel: 77777267
