Sabah Women's Action-Resource Group

SAWO Helpline is a free and confidential phone counseling and information service available to anyone in distress or crisis. To make the service readily accessible, it is publicized daily in the local newspapers.

Presently the Helpline is operated by one trained para-counselor-cum-social worker with the assistance of other volunteers and the professional support of a legal counsel as well as the support and cooperation of relevant agencies and NGOs.

SAWO Helpline is dedicated to serving our community with the following services:

• Telephone helpline providing counseling and information
• Face-to-face counseling at the SAWO Center or through home visits
• Arrangement for legal and practical support for women in crisis, including obtaining short-term crisis fund for single mothers and poor families and assisting the needy to apply for low-cost government housing and government financial aid
• Arrangement for refuge or shelter for victims of domestic violence, rape, incest and physical abuse
• Referral service for individuals needing help from the police, the Medical Social Department, Sabah Welfare Services Department and other agencies, including the Legal Aid Bureau and Syariah lawyers for Muslim women
• Home visits
• Organization of support groups

A summary of assistance provided by the SAWO Helpline in 2008 and 2009 is given below:

*64% of calls are from women taking part in a DV research conducted by the Universiti Sains Malaysia.

HELPLINE needs more volunteers who can do home and hospital visits, mentoring for women and children, emotional and practical support for families, school visits, fostering or “angkat” of children and families, assistance to apply and follow-up long term aid from schools, welfare department or other donors,

Please contact us if you are interested.