September is World Suicide Prevention Month and the 10th of September to be specific was the World Suicide Prevention Day. To recognize this and create awareness about suicide, the Chiromo Hospital Group organized the Africa X chat on the topic. The chat brought together many mental health advocates who would have a space to talk about all things suicide.

The African X Chat which was hosted on the X app (formerly twitter), brought together panelists from different countries across the continent. Naila Chebet Koech, who is part of our executive, represented Stowelink in the conversation. As a mental health advocate, Naila was among the many Afro-panelists who wanted to spread the message on suicide prevention.

The theme of the discussion was “Creating Hope Through Action”. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this theme serves as a powerful call to action and reminder that there is an alternative to suicide and that through our actions we can encourage hope and strengthen prevention. By creating hope through action, we can signal to people experiencing suicidal thoughts that there is hope and that we care and want to support them. It also suggests that our actions, no matter how big or small, may provide hope to those who are struggling.

It is estimated that one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young people globally. Africa has the highest rates in the world, with approximately 11 cases in every 100,000 people per year. In Kenya, about 300 deaths occur annually because of the same.

Suicide is a pressing concern in Africa and mostly in Kenya. It is our duty as NCD advocates to openly talk about it so as to reduce stigma, raise awareness and reduce such cases in our communities.

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