What Lifeline MCS India does

Lifeline Foundation, referred to as Lifeline MCS India, is a registered non-profit organization headquartered at 9 Kankulia Road, Golpark, Kolkata 700029, that has delivered free, confidential, and anonymous emotional support to depressed, distressed, and suicidal individuals since 16 May 1996. It was founded by the late Mr. Ravinder Singh and is the sole organization of its kind in West Bengal. The core service is a 14x7 telephone crisis helpline operating daily from 10 AM to 12 AM IST on two numbers (+91 91639 40404 and +91 90880 30303), supported by secure telephony software that masks caller numbers to preserve two-way anonymity between caller and volunteer.

The organization is entirely volunteer-run, with 100+ volunteers (approximately 40 active) and a lean staff of about 25, led by Ms. Suksham Singh (Director, Co-Founder and Trustee), Ms. Mira Kakkar (Chief Strategist), and Deputy Directors Ms. Molly Thambi and Ms. Manjit Ghai. Beyond the helpline, it offers face-to-face befriending sessions by appointment in Kolkata, a Rural and School Outreach Program (notably into Sundarban-area schools in partnership with Swapnopuron Welfare Society), free mental health awareness sessions for organizations, and a structured volunteer training program involving a 2-day in-person weekend course plus 6-8 hours of mentoring and mock calls. It is a member of Befrienders Worldwide (90+ centres, 48 countries) and Befrienders Initiative India, with Ms. Ghai serving as Treasurer of the Indian chapter.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: all services are free, there is no pricing, no paid sales motion, no funding rounds, and no parent or VC backing. Revenue (in the inflow sense) comes from public donations via cheque, NEFT, and online transfers to a dedicated HDFC Bank account. Growth and reach are achieved through community outreach, educational institution partnerships, civic collaborations (e.g., Lions Club of Calcutta North 'Beyond Silence' event, September 2025), and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition or technology-led scaling.

Name

Lifeline MCS India

Legal name

Lifeline Foundation

Website

https://lifelinefoundation.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lifeline Foundation is a Kolkata-based non-profit, founded in 1996, providing free, anonymous, 14x7 telephone emotional support and crisis intervention to depressed, distressed, and suicidal individuals across India, staffed entirely by trained volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crisis Helpline Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health Crisis Services Management (988/Hotlines/Mobile Crisis Coordination) (HLAEAHAK), Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI), Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Lifeline Foundation is a registered non-profit organization that operates entirely on donations and contributions from the public. The organization does not charge for its services. Donations are accepted via cheque, NEFT, and other online payment methods through a dedicated HDFC Bank account.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lifeline MCS India runs a free, confidential, 24-hour telephone helpline that provides emotional first-aid to people in India who are depressed, distressed, suicidal, or simply need someone to talk to. In addition to the voice helpline, it offers face-to-face befriending sessions at its Kolkata centre, conducts mental health awareness and outreach programs in schools, colleges, and rural communities, and recruits and trains volunteers to staff its support services.

Product overview

Lifeline Foundation offers a unified crisis support service centered on telephone emotional support helplines that operate 14x7. The core offering is a free, confidential, and anonymous telephone befriending service staffed by rigorously trained volunteers. Additional services include face-to-face befriending sessions (by appointment, Kolkata only), a Rural and School/Educational Institution Outreach Program for mental health awareness, free mental health awareness sessions for organizations, and a volunteer training program. All services are provided free of charge and are non-judgmental, focusing on listening with empathy rather than advice or counseling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telephone Crisis Helpline Service A free, confidential, 24-hour telephone helpline that provides emotional first-aid and a non-judgmental listening ear to individuals in India who are depressed, distressed, suicidal, or in need of someone to talk to. Callers are anonymous; the helpline uses secure telephony that masks caller numbers.
• Face-to-Face Befriending Sessions In-person befriending sessions conducted at the organization's Kolkata centre for individuals who prefer or require face-to-face emotional support beyond telephone contact. Sessions are staffed by trained volunteers and provided free of charge.
• School and College Outreach Program Structured mental health awareness and outreach sessions delivered by trained Lifeline volunteers in schools and colleges to educate students about emotional well-being, de-stigmatize help-seeking, and raise awareness of the helpline.
• Rural Community Awareness Program Awareness initiatives conducted in rural Indian communities to extend mental health education, reduce stigma around emotional distress, and inform residents about available emotional support services.
• Volunteer Training Program A volunteer recruitment and training program that prepares individuals to staff the telephone helpline and conduct befriending and outreach activities, aligned with the standards of the Befrienders Worldwide network.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Lions Club of Calcutta NorthminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 September 2025Collaboration on 'Beyond Silence' — an open conversation on mental health held at Hindustan Club, Kolkata. Session led by Lifeline Deputy Directors focusing on recognizing distress, listening without judgment, and building community support for suicide prevention. Over 50 participants attended.
• Befrienders WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based charity overseeing a global network of over 90 emotional support centres across 48 countries. Lifeline Foundation is a member organization, providing global standards, network support, and international legitimacy in suicide prevention and emotional support.
• Befrienders Initiative (India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian chapter of Befrienders Worldwide with 14 other centres across India and nearly 350 trained volunteers. Lifeline's Deputy Director Ms. Manjit Ghai serves as Treasurer of Befrienders Initiative. Provides national coordination and shared standards.
• Swapnopuron Welfare SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for Sundarban mental health outreach programs. Collaborated on sessions at Swapnopuran Shiksha Niketan, Ghuni Adarsha High School, Barunhat High School, and Rameswarpur Nehru Vidyaniketan reaching 466 students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Amaha (formerly InnerHour): India-based mental health platform offering self-care tools, therapy, and psychiatric support via app; comparable as a digital mental health service targeting the same stressed/anxious Indian population that Lifeline serves.
• Wysa: AI-driven mental health chatbot app offering 24/7 anonymous emotional support and self-help tools in India and globally; comparable as a technology-enabled alternative channel for distressed users who might otherwise call Lifeline.
• YourDOST: Indian online emotional wellness and counseling platform (chat, audio, video) serving students and working professionals; comparable as a digital-first alternative to Lifeline's voice helpline for younger Indian users seeking anonymous emotional support.

Broad incumbents

• Tele-MANAS (Government of India): Government of India's flagship 24/7 tele-mental-health helpline (14416) operating in 20+ languages with 53+ centres; comparable as a crisis helpline serving the same distressed Indian population, but with vastly greater scale, funding, and 24-hour coverage that Lifeline cannot match.
• Befrienders Worldwide: UK-based parent charity of the global emotional-support network that Lifeline belongs to; comparable as the umbrella organization for 90+ centres across 48 countries using the same non-directive befriending methodology as Lifeline.
• Samaritans (UK): UK's flagship 24/7 crisis helpline (116 123) and the historical model that inspired the Befrienders Worldwide movement that Lifeline belongs to; comparable as a larger, longer-running, more established version of the same non-judgmental listening service.

Direct peers

• Vandrevala Foundation Mental Health Helpline: India's largest private 24/7 multilingual crisis and suicide-prevention helpline (1860-2662-345 / 1800-2333-330), directly comparable to Lifeline as a free, anonymous emotional-support hotline serving individuals in distress across India.
• iCall (TISS Mumbai): Tata Institute of Social Sciences-run psychosocial helpline (9152987821) offering free, confidential counseling by trained professionals; directly comparable as an India-based emotional-support telephone and email service targeting distressed individuals.
• Snehi: Chennai-based emotional support helpline providing free crisis counseling across India; directly comparable to Lifeline as a nonprofit telephone befriending service for distressed and suicidal individuals.
• AASRA: Mumbai-based suicide prevention helpline (9820466726) offering 24/7 emotional support — directly comparable to Lifeline as an India-based nonprofit crisis hotline for suicidal and distressed individuals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LifelineFoundationIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifeline-mcs-india
• Instagraminstagram.com/lifelinefoundationindia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Lifeline MCS India