Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza

What Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza does

Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza is a Zürich-headquartered non-profit association (NGO) founded in 2005 that operates a 24/7 Spanish-language emotional-support and crisis-intervention helpline for the Spanish-speaking community resident in Switzerland. The organization was established by Padre Ángel Sanz Garró and operates under the leadership of President Cecilia Licona Debrunner following his death in June 2023. It functions as the Swiss chapter of the international Teléfonos de la Esperanza network (ASITES), and is institutionally backed by Stadt Zürich and the Spanish Ministry.

The service portfolio comprises four core offerings: (1) 24/7 telephonic orientation (crisis-line), (2) up to four free psychological counseling sessions per beneficiary via a small panel of volunteer psychologists, (3) free legal advisory, and (4) personal-growth courses and structured volunteer training programs. The organization is volunteer-led, with approximately 40 active volunteers and more than 150 trained since inception; the source material also references 11 disclosed employees, indicating a thin paid-staff layer beneath a much larger volunteer corps. Since 2005 it has handled more than 7,500 crisis calls and served more than 10,000 beneficiaries. A coworking sublet (CHF 900/month for 17.8 m²), an editorial magazine, and low-fee public talks (e.g., CHF 10 per session) supplement the core hotline, pointing to modest revenue diversification.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit: free core services sustained by institutional grants (Stadt Zürich, Spanish Ministry), individual donations, and a thin layer of earned income from coworking and course fees. The addressable market is narrowly defined as Spanish-speaking residents of Switzerland seeking crisis or emotional support, with no geographic expansion beyond Zürich and no digital-native scaling channel beyond social-media presence on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Distribution is word-of-mouth, institutional referral, and direct phone access; there is no e-commerce, subscription, or per-seat pricing layer.

Name

Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza

Legal name

TELÉFONO DE LA ESPERANZA SUIZA

Website

https://telefonodelaesperanza.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza is a Zürich-based non-profit operating a 24/7 Spanish-language crisis and emotional-support helpline for the Spanish-speaking community in Switzerland, supplemented by free psychological counseling, legal advice, personal-growth courses, and volunteer training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emotional Support and Crisis Intervention Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Support, Suicide Prevention & Acute Behavioral Triage Platforms (HLALAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Emotional support hotline
• Crisis intervention services
• Mental health support
• Volunteer counseling services
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters and community members who contribute financially to sustain the organization's operations and emotional support services.
2. Course Fees: Small registration fees for certain courses and workshops (e.g., 10 CHF for talks), while maintaining free access to crisis hotline services.
3. Institutional Support: Support from organizations including Stadt Zürich Integrationsförderung, Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, and other institutional partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza operates a 24/7 free and anonymous telephone helpline (Orientación Telefónica) staffed by trained volunteers who use active listening techniques to provide emotional support to Spanish-speaking community members in Switzerland facing personal, family, or couple crises. The core service is supplemented by up to four free psychological counseling sessions grounded in Brief Therapy, free legal advisory sessions from volunteer lawyers, and a Crecimiento Personal division offering personal development courses, mindfulness workshops, support groups, and cultural activities at its Zürich headquarters.

Product overview

Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza is a non-profit NGO providing emotional support services to the Spanish-speaking community in Switzerland. The organization operates a 24/7 free, anonymous telephone helpline (Orientación Telefónica) as its core service, complemented by psychological counseling (Orientación Psicológica) offering up to four free sessions, and legal advisory services (Asesoría Jurídica). The Crecimiento Personal (Personal Growth) division offers courses, workshops, support groups, and activities including mindfulness training, personal development programs, and reading clubs. The organization also runs a volunteer training program and publishes the Avivir magazine. All services are delivered by trained volunteers with oversight from professional staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Orientación Telefónica (Telephone Helpline) A 24/7 free, anonymous telephone helpline (043 817 65 65) providing emotional crisis support to Spanish-speaking community members in Switzerland, operated by trained volunteers using active listening techniques for personal, family, and couple crises.
• Orientación Psicológica (Psychological Counseling) Free psychological counseling service providing up to four sessions based on the Brief Therapy theoretical framework, offered by qualified psychologists to Spanish-speaking individuals in Switzerland.
• Asesoría Jurídica (Legal Advisory) Free legal advisory session provided by volunteer lawyers for Spanish-speaking individuals in Switzerland in need of legal guidance.
• Crecimiento Personal (Personal Growth Program) Personal growth program offering courses, workshops, and support groups focused on emotional health promotion, mindfulness, and interpersonal communication skills development, conducted at the organization's Zürich headquarters.
• Curso de Desarrollo Personal (Personal Development Course) Intensive personal development course helping participants understand emotions, strengthen self-esteem, and grow personally, delivered at the Zürich headquarters.
• Programa de Formación de Voluntarios (Volunteer Training Program) Structured training program for volunteers interested in providing emotional support via telephone and email, including the Initiation Workshop and ongoing development courses for volunteer development.
• Club de Lectura (Book Club) Book club meetings at the Zürich headquarters for Spanish-speaking community members to share stories, reflect, and connect with others through literature.
• Revista Avivir (Avivir Magazine) Digital magazine published by the organization covering mental health topics, emotional wellness, and community stories relevant to the Spanish-speaking population in Switzerland.
• Coworking Space Rental Rental of a 17.8 m² coworking space at Bederstrasse 76, Zürich, available at CHF 900/month including internet and services for community members and organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ individuals helped since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASITES (Asociación Internacional del Teléfono de la Esperanza)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent international organization founded in 1971 in Spain, declared of Public Utility in 1972. Provides framework, training methodology, and brand licensing for national Teléfono de la Esperanza organizations worldwide.
• Stadt Zürich IntegrationsförderungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration promotion department of the City of Zürich that supports organizations working with immigrant communities. Cristina Bütikkofer, Director of Projects, has highlighted the importance of TES for immigrant emotional health integration.
• Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (España)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish government ministry supporting Spanish diaspora organizations abroad. Provides institutional support and recognition for organizations serving Spanish immigrants in Switzerland.
• Ateneo Popular EspañolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish cultural center in Switzerland that collaborates with TES on events including hiking activities and cultural programs for the Spanish-speaking community.
• Dargebotene Hand ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss crisis hotline organization (143) in Zürich. Partner organization in the crisis support network providing mutual referral and support services.
• Misión Católica Habla Española ZürichminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish-speaking Catholic mission in Zürich that serves the Spanish immigrant community and collaborates with TES for emotional support services.
• ici-gemeinsam-hier.chminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration organization in Switzerland working to promote inclusion and community building among immigrants.
• SentitreffminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss organization providing meeting and integration services for immigrant communities.
• Liebfrauenkirche ZürichminorOthersCatholic church in Zürich that provided venue for 15th anniversary celebration event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• La Main Tendue (143) Suisse romande: French-language counterpart of Dargebotene Hand operating the 143 crisis number in French-speaking Switzerland; directly comparable crisis-line model serving a different linguistic community in the same country.
• Voici la Famille / Caritas Spain migration support services: Spanish Catholic NGO providing social services including emotional support and integration programs for Spanish emigrants; comparable in target population (Spanish-speaking immigrants) and faith-rooted service model, although structurally separate from hotline delivery.

Direct peers

• Telefono Amico Italia: Italian crisis helpline providing emotional support via phone and chat to Italian speakers; comparable volunteer/staffed hybrid model targeting an Italian-speaking population with cultural-linguistic specificity similar to TES's Spanish-speaking positioning.
• Dargebotene Hand (143) Zürich: Swiss 24/7 crisis hotline operating in German and serving the Zürich region; listed as a strategic partner of TES, operates the same hotline crisis-intervention model but in the local language and with paid staff rather than volunteers.
• Pro Juventute (Tel 147) Switzerland: Swiss national hotline (147) for children and young people providing 24/7 crisis counseling in multiple languages including Spanish; overlaps with TES on crisis-line service model and Swiss donor-base overlap, though focused on minors.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritans UK: Long-established UK emotional-support charity running a 24/7 crisis line largely staffed by volunteers; comparable in scale of beneficiaries, reliance on trained volunteer listeners, and freephone anonymous service model.
• Teléfono de la Esperanza (ASITES, Spain): Parent international organization founded 1971 in Spain operating the same crisis-line methodology worldwide; direct affiliate/parent of TES Suiza and most directly comparable in mission, methodology, and brand identity.

Emerging players

• Crisis Text Line: US-based crisis-counseling organization operating via SMS and online channels; comparable in mission (acute emotional-crisis triage, volunteer-based listener model) but differentiated by digital-first delivery versus TES's voice-and-in-person approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@telefonodelaesperanzasuiza8026
• Facebookfacebook.com/TelefonoEsperanzaSuiza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telefono-de-la-esperanza-suiza
• Instagraminstagram.com/telefonodelaesperanzasuiza
• TikToktiktok.com/@telefonodelaespch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Teléfono de la Esperanza Suiza