Our model
One free call, one connected system
We did not build a single clinic. We built a system designed to go where the need is, reach the most vulnerable, and deliver care that costs nothing to access.
The challenges we address
Mental health is woven into poverty, violence and loss
Depression and anxiety
Post-traumatic stress
Psychosis and severe illness
Grief and bereavement
Suicidal thoughts and crisis
Substance use
Gender-based violence
Child abuse and neglect
Domestic violence
Community and post-conflict trauma
Who we serve
Those most left behind
The system
Explore how the parts connect
9898 Hotline
The front door. Free, confidential, 24/7 support, crisis intervention and warm referral from any phone in Liberia.
Select any part of the system to learn how it connects. A call can become a clinic visit; a clinic visit can become a community programme.
Theory of change
Why we believe this works
Each step depends on the one before it.
Select a step to follow the chain.
Source: Letters to Strangers Liberia, Theory of Change, 2026.
How people access services
The journey from first call to lasting change
- 1
Reach
A person in distress dials 9898 at no cost, day or night.
- 2
Listen
A trained counsellor listens without judgement and checks safety and needs.
- 3
Respond
Immediate support: crisis stabilisation, psychological first aid, safety planning.
- 4
Connect
A warm referral to a hospital, shelter, protection service, legal aid or counsellor.
- 5
Reach further
For those who cannot travel, the Mobile Clinic goes to them.
- 6
Sustain
We follow up, track outcomes and stay in relationship with communities.
Stepped care
Matching care to need
Most people are helped at the community and peer level. Fewer need structured or clinical care, and a small number need specialist care through Ministry of Health services.
Specialist care
MoH psychiatric services, by referral
Clinical care
Move To Heal, licensed clinicians
Structured support
Counsellors, community mental health workers, groups
Community and peer
9898, peer circles, letters, community radio
Referral pathways
No wrong door
Our BRIDGE approach uses trained Peer Navigators at the points where people are most often lost. It is being rolled out in phases.
- 1
Police contact
Officers trained through the Police Academy refer people to care instead of charging them, where appropriate.
- 2
Release from detention
A Peer Navigator is assigned before release, so someone is waiting on the day the person leaves.
- 3
Hospital discharge
A navigator plans discharge and makes check-in calls at days 3, 7, 14 and 30.
- 4
Community groups
A 'no silent dropout' rule: two missed sessions trigger a check-in within 72 hours.
- 5
Schools, healers and faith leaders
A referral card and a named contact, with warm referral within 48 hours.
Source: Letters to Strangers Liberia, The THRIVE Framework (incl. the BRIDGE model), 2026.
Partnerships
Working inside existing systems
The Ministry of Health Mental Health Unit, the Liberia National Police Academy and Training School, Letters to Strangers headquarters, hospitals, safe houses, the Women and Children Protection Unit, legal aid providers, schools, and faith and traditional leaders.
Workforce and systems
People and tools
A youth-led team of counsellors, hotline responders, volunteers and community health workers, supported by clinical supervisors. The Call Management System assesses, categorises and routes every contact.
Monitoring and learning
Measuring what matters
Monthly hotline dashboards, quarterly reporting against our Theory of Change, weekly clinical review of a sample of calls, community feedback sessions, and annual evaluation.
Strengthening and scaling
A model designed to travel
Our first goal is full national coverage across all 15 counties. Once the model is proven and documented, our vision is to adapt it with partners in Sierra Leone and Guinea, then build a West African support network with shared protocols, cross-border referrals and joint training.