The announcement on Monday that Crisis Text Line has acquired Aselo marks an important moment for a platform that began with a simple idea: technology for child helplines should be built with child helplines.
Aselo was born from the child helpline movement, co-created by Tech Matters with Child Helpline International and our members because we knew that technology supporting crisis response needed to reflect the realities of child helpline operations.
Children and young people communicate in different ways. They call. They text. They chat. They use social media. And when they need support, they should be able to reach it in the ways that work for them.
For every child, through every channel.
Aselo has already helped make that possible, supporting 25 helpline partners across 19 countries and facilitating more than one million contacts.
Now, as Aselo moves forward with Crisis Text Line, there is real potential to build on that success – to go further, faster, and extend the reach and impact of technology created specifically for helplines.
Collaboration has been at the heart of Aselo from the beginning. We are excited to see where that spirit of collaboration can take it next.
At Child Helpline International, we believe every child should have somewhere to turn when they need help. Technology can be a powerful enabler of that ambition – but only when it works for the child helplines providing that support: designed around their operational realities, adaptable to different contexts, and responsive to the needs of the children and young people they serve.
Aselo was purpose-built on those principles. By combining the experience, technology and ambition of Aselo and Crisis Text Line, there is a clear opportunity: to help more child helplines reach and support children and young people, at the right time, through the channels that work for them.
So yes, we are going loud and proud. Because partnerships like this matter!
Helen Mason
Executive Director
