The First Hotline for Men in Ukraine

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had severe consequences for mental health. Almost 70% of men are in a state of distress, which negatively affects their quality of life, physical health, and relationships with their loved ones. Realizing the urgent need for help, UNFPA Ukraine launched the Helpline for Men.

However, due to gender stereotypes, 80% of Ukrainians believe that seeking counseling is not manly, "I have to solve my problems on my own, I'm not crazy!" And 96% of men deny having any problems at all.

Men do not tolerate annoying advice and preaching. In their opinion, it takes a man like them to understand them. So we found an unconventional creative solution—we used humor to bypass the barriers and remove the armor of feigned masculinity!

We had to build a bridge of trust. While communicating with the target audience, we noticed that men, when discussing very serious issues, often resort to jokes and irony as a way to relieve tension. So we came up with a hypothesis: humor helps to open up and disarm the toughest men.

And we found a solution — a stand-up show as a format for the launch event instead of a classic boring press conference. We invited men to attend it. The event was held in a basement in the heart of Kyiv. It serves as a shelter, so even a major missile attack did not hinder us.

We held an unprecedented event and introduced the Helpline for Men! Having recorded it, we created the basis for creative content — videos.

We chose TikTok, Meta, and YouTube as the main platforms for their placement, further promotion with digital tools, and integration into the most popular men's shows because this is where our target audience spends their free time. Ukrainian YouTube was going through a new round of growth, and Ukrainian-language content was gaining popularity, especially stand-up. So we turned the comedy show into a native ad and showed the fastest way to solve the problem — the Helpline for Men available via the short number 2345. We created the first men's stand-up in Ukraine!

It was the product launch. Therefore, instead of a classic boring press conference, we organized a stand-up to present our project and promote the psychological helpline service through native integration.

By filming the performance, we created the basis for creative materials! The stand-up was posted on UNFPA Ukraine's YouTube channel, and short videos with reprises were published on all social networks to reach as many of our target audience as possible. We turned the comedy show into a native advertisement and showed the fastest way to solve the problem — the Helpline for Men at 2345.

Our thoroughly planned strategy worked! The project received fantastic support from bloggers, media, and our audience! More than 6.2 million users watched the videos on various platforms. The video completion rate reached 97%! Using digital tools and humor as a creative solution, on the one hand, and a deep understanding of men's problems, on the other, we gathered an entire football stadium for a consultation with psychologists! The number 2345 was dialed 16,434 times! We have changed the lives of not only 7,534 men but also of their loved ones. Most importantly, we received grateful feedback and comments saying that seeking help from a psychologist is no longer scary.

The project received tremendous support from the public, and most importantly, it resonated with our target audience! We were able to bypass barriers and stereotypes to motivate men to contact the Helpline. We helped more than 15,000 men open up, share their feelings, and gain a positive experience from communicating with psychologists! Most valuable of all, we have changed and given new meaning to the lives of not only men but also their loved ones.