A single tweet from a lonely young Dutch woman has led to the creation of a hotline that connects isolated young people with one another.

Nadï van Watering, 25, sent the tweet, hashtagged “maatjegezocht” (“seeking a pal”) hoping for a reply. To her surprise, it generated a million “likes” and 50,000 messages.

The massive response was spotted by a youth worker, Jolanda van Gerwe, who was inspired to start a hotline for lonely youngsters between the ages of 12 and 30. “We give lonely young people a place to be heard and put them in touch with youth clubs specializing in kids who are lonely,” she explains.

Van Watering, meanwhile, says: “I’ve now met two people that I can call friends. And I’ve had so many sweet comments.”