Dear Editor,
Recently I had joined the fourth and fifth form students of the Berbice High School, along with their teachers, who held their first suicide awareness walk through the streets of New Amsterdam, sensitising residents and especially the young people about the dangers of suicide.
I must commend them for taking this initiative in trying their best to prevent suicide, which is relatively high in Guyana, especially in the Region Six area. A recent study shows that Guyana tops the Caribbean in terms of its suicide rate, and Berbice leads Guyana with the number of suicide cases reported – 67. This is a very huge number, particularly among young people living in Guyana.
Speaking with the students of the Berbice High School, they were all annoyed with this, so they decided to plan their walk in an effort to help prevent the suicide rate from escalating even higher.
“Hope and pray, suicide is not the way,” they chanted as they paraded through the streets of New Amsterdam. During their walk, residents in the area commended them for taking this initiative and also encouraged and supported them to keep on doing what they are doing to make a change in the society.
I am appealing to other schools and young people out there: come together and form yourselves into groups, reach out to your community, your school and have them join you in preventing suicide and even educate them about the causes which lead to suicide and ways in which they can help you to stop this high rate of suicide!
I must once again express my appreciation to the Berbice High School students and teachers in their fight against suicide! Let us all join hands and say NO to suicide and yes to life!
Yours truly,
Shazam Somwar
By Guyana Times
Fourth and fifth form students of Berbice High School during their first suicide awareness walk