ORANJESTAD – The child helpline ‘Guana Chat 918’ was launched on St. Eustatius this week. The idea behind the helpline is for children and teenagers from the age of 8 up to 21, to have someplace to turn to when they are worried or have questions about any topic, such as bullying, falling in love, friendships, but also about stress at school or at home. 

A listening ear can sometimes make a big difference. The staff answering the calls are mentors who have followed appropriate training and have also undergone extensive cultural training by the team of social workers on St. Eustatius. The free telephone number 918 is available every day between 2 and 6 pm.

Collaboration

The Guana Chat helpline is a collaboration between the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS) and Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), the Public Entity of St. Eustatius and the child helpline of Aruba, ‘Telefon pa Hubentud’. State Secretary Van Ooijen (VWS): “It is so important that children and young people have someplace to turn to. A listening ear can sometimes make a big difference. My hope is that this will normalize talking about problems.”

With this easily accessible facility, the parties involved want to contribute to the mental fitness of the youth throughout the Kingdom. The social support team of Statia Government and the Mega D Youth Foundation will visit the secondary school and all classes 5 to 8 of the primary schools on St. Eustatius to inform the pupils about this helpline and guide them through the website www.guanachat918.com.