The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that about 800,000 people died in 2016 by their own hand, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

As this week marks World Suicide Prevention Day, WHO is appealing to countries to develop suicide prevention strategies and a toolkit has been developed to help communities address the issue effectively.

In this episode of our Lid is On podcast, Yasmina Guerda spoke to WHO’s focal point for suicide prevention, Dr. Alexandra Fleischmann, and to Sheilla Akwara, a singer from Kenya who survived several suicide attempts herself and who is now working with youth to share messages of hope.

Music credit:  "Watershed" by Soularflair.

Audio Engineer: Carlos Macias.