Sri Lanka Sumithrayo

What Sri Lanka Sumithrayo does

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1974 and incorporated by Act of Parliament No.10 of 1986. It provides confidential emotional support and suicide prevention services to individuals in distress across Sri Lanka, delivered by trained volunteers and staff through multiple channels including telephone, face-to-face meetings, messaging, and email. The organization operates 10 branches plus 2 rural programme centres, giving it national geographic coverage, and is a member of Befrienders Worldwide, a global network of peer suicide prevention organizations. Governance is provided by a Board of Management.

The organization's core service is human-delivered, peer-style emotional support rather than a technology product. There is no proprietary software platform, app, or digital infrastructure underpinning the service; confidentiality and the human relationship are central to the operating model. The volunteer-based model and the sensitive nature of the service mean that technology adoption is intentionally limited, with channel diversification (adding messaging and email to phone and in-person) representing the principal modernization path.

Sumithrayo's business model is donation-funded rather than commercial. There are no fees charged to service users, no tiered pricing, and no enterprise contracts; all operating costs are met through voluntary contributions. The customer base consists of individuals in emotional distress, served anonymously and without contractual relationships, so user-side concentration risk is effectively zero. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range, with the volunteer community providing the bulk of frontline capacity beyond paid staff.

Name

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo

Legal name

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo

Website

https://srilankasumithrayo.lk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo is a non-profit charity providing confidential emotional support and suicide prevention services to individuals in distress across Sri Lanka, delivered by trained volunteers through 10 branches and 2 rural centres via phone, face-to-face, messaging, and email.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Emotional support services
• Suicide prevention helpline
• Crisis intervention services
• Mental health awareness
• Volunteer befriending

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Sri Lanka Sumithrayo runs entirely on donor funds. All capital is directed back into programmes and operations supporting those in need. Donations are accepted via the website (credit/debit card) and other channels. The organization is a registered non-profit with tax-exempt status under Sri Lankan law.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo provides free, confidential, and anonymous emotional support and suicide prevention services to individuals in distress across Sri Lanka. Services are delivered by trained volunteer befrienders via telephone, face-to-face visits at 10 branches, messaging, and email, supplemented by awareness workshops, webinars, and a Rural Programme for farming communities.

Product overview

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo is a non-profit emotional support and suicide prevention organization offering a portfolio of crisis intervention services. The core offering is its crisis helpline network of 10 branches providing free, confidential emotional support via telephone, face-to-face, messaging, and email. Supplementary services include Awareness Workshops delivered to schools and workplaces, Webinars for civil society, and a Rural Programme targeting underserved communities. The organization also operates an Online Donation Platform for supporter contributions. This is not a technology platform but a volunteer-driven service organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Helpline Services Free, confidential emotional support available via telephone, face-to-face, messaging, and email through 10 branches across Sri Lanka, providing crisis intervention for those at risk of suicide.
• Awareness Workshops Befriending programmes delivered at institutions on request and awareness programmes on prevention of suicide at schools, workplaces, and community organizations.
• Webinars Online programmes conducted for the benefit of civil society and organisations keen to help those in crisis or interested in gaining valuable life skills.
• Rural Programme Providing emotional support to those with suicidal thoughts in rural communities, with 2 rural centres in Panduwasnuwara and Lunugamvehera, helping develop coping skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Considerable reduction in suicides among farming communities through pesticide storage box innovation

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Befrienders WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSri Lanka Sumithrayo is a registered member of Befrienders Worldwide, the global umbrella organisation with crisis helpline services in 35 countries. The partnership provides global credibility, best practice sharing, and connects Sri Lanka Sumithrayo to the international suicide prevention network.
• Befrienders IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBefrienders India has a long-standing working relationship with Sri Lanka Sumithrayo, having benefited from the association. The two organisations collaborate on shared goals of suicide prevention.
• Vision Care Optical Services ColombominorOthersListed as a Friend of Sumithrayo donor and supporter of the organisation's mission.
• BrandixminorOthersListed as a Friend of Sumithrayo donor and supporter of the organisation's suicide prevention mission.
• Visakha Vidyalaya Past Pupils AssociationminorOthersListed as a Friend of Sumithrayo supporter contributing to awareness and fundraising efforts.
• Mr Herman Gonzales (Former CEO Nivasi Homes)minorOthersListed as a Friend of Sumithrayo, supporting the organisation's mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lifeline Australia: Australia's national 24-hour crisis-support helpline providing free, confidential emotional support and suicide prevention services. Operates a similar volunteer-befriender model with multi-channel access, comparable to Sumithrayo's branch network approach.
• Befrienders Worldwide: Global umbrella network for emotional-support and suicide-prevention helplines operating in 35 countries. Sri Lanka Sumithrayo is a registered member, making this the closest peer as it shares the same befriending methodology, volunteer model, and service ethos.
• iCall (TISS Mumbai): India-based psychosocial helpline run by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, offering free telephone and email counselling. Comparable as a multi-channel emotional-support service operating in a similar South Asian cultural and linguistic context.
• Samaritans (UK & Ireland): One of the original befriending organisations, providing 24/7 confidential emotional support via telephone, email, and letter. Highly comparable to Sri Lanka Sumithrayo in service model, anonymity guarantee, and volunteer-driven crisis support.
• Befrienders India: Indian suicide-prevention helpline organisation with a long-standing working relationship with Sri Lanka Sumithrayo. Shares the same befriending methodology, volunteer training approach, and free confidential service model in a South Asian context.
• Vandrevala Foundation Mental Health Helpline: Indian 24/7 multilingual crisis helpline offering free emotional support and suicide prevention. Directly comparable in service model, free confidential delivery, and South Asian regional scope.

Broad incumbents

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US 988): US federally backed national suicide-prevention hotline network. Comparable in mission and free confidential crisis-intervention service, but operates at significantly greater scale as a government-funded national system.

Emerging players

• TalkLife: Digital peer-support platform for young people experiencing mental-health challenges. Comparable in mission but represents a tech-enabled, peer-to-peer model that contrasts with Sumithrayo's traditional voice/in-person befriending approach.
• Crisis Text Line: US-based crisis-support service delivered primarily through text messaging by trained volunteers. Comparable in volunteer-driven emotional support model but represents a digital-first, channel-different approach that signals the direction crisis services are evolving.

Regional players

• Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): Singapore-based suicide-prevention and crisis-support organisation operating a 24-hour hotline with volunteer befrienders. Highly comparable service model in an Asian urban context, providing a regional peer for operational benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_rgrI1S1xtztGth0-Ce_Vg
• Facebookfacebook.com/slsumithrayo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sri-lanka-sumithrayo
• Instagraminstagram.com/srilankasumithrayo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sri Lanka Sumithrayo