Recognising suicide as a public health priority the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 700,000 people worldwide died by their own hand in 2019 resulting into  1.3% of deaths in 2019 globally. Suicide is the third most common cause of death in young women aged 15-29, and the fourth most common among young men. Rates in males of all ages are twice as high than they are in women.77% of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries.A prior suicide attempt is the single most important risk factor for suicide in the general population.

Suicide rates are high amongst vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as people living with chronic illnesses, refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners.

Despite an increasing body of evidence showing that effective methods of prevention, screening and diagnosis of, and treatments for, common mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, exist and can be implemented in low- and middle-income countries, services for mental health, neurological, and substance use conditions are often not integrated into packages of essential services and care, including for HIV.

Suicide and mental health go hand in hand even though it is reported that people who commit suicide do not show any signs of depression of mental health as they have already let it all go.

Funding youth-led movements episode focuses on:

1. Understanding the benefits of funding youth-led movements

2. Sharing success stories on engaging AGYW

Engaging young people in leadership spaces episode focuses on:

1. Sharing knowledge on engaging young people in leadership spaces

2. Sharing ideas on how Frontline AIDS is supporting young people in leadership spaces

Y+ Global is preparing a podcast series under the Y+ Global Young voices channel with the aim of highlighting the experiences and successes of the youth networks during the implementation of the first phase of Ground Up and promoting linkages and learning among the youth networks in the region. The podcast will feature two country networks; Y+ Kenya and Eswatini Network of Young People living with HIV(SNYP). The two networks will highlight the milestones within their networks as supported by Ground Up.

Y+ Global is hosting a podcast series to chat with the expert under the Y+ Global Young Voices channel with the aim of unpacking key concepts of organization capacity strengthening including, governance, program, and financial management. This podcast episode will feature the Y+ Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning officer who has supported more than 100 youth networks across the Y+ Global program implementation portfolio. The episode will focus on unpacking monitoring and evaluation and why they are important concepts of program management.

This episode of YOUNG-VOICES will explore mental health and the role that self-care plays in attaining mental health.

Mental health conditions increase the risk of HIV infection, and people living with HIV have an increased risk of mental health conditions, which are associated with lower retention in HIV care, increased risk behaviors, and lower engagement with HIV prevention.

In this episode, young people discuss self-care and its role in improving the lives of all young people in our diversity. 

Self-care interventions play a big role in improving the access to services and commodities. In the long run, improve the quality of life and treatment outcomes for AYPLHIV and move us closer to attaining Universal Health Coverage.

We joined Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation with a mission in mind: ending the knowledge gaps that people living with HIV have regarding COVID-19. Listen to our most recent podcast and get to know the details of this project. 

The ESA Commitment must be an important conversation topic for all young SRHR and HIV advocates of Africa. In this special episode after ICASA 2021, we talked about the last updates and news on the Ministerial Commitment that were announced during the conference

The launch of the new #HERVoiceFund strategy was one of the proudest things about ICASA 2021. In this special back home episode, Maximina Jokonya, the head of the HER Voice Fund, talks to us about how this new strategy is empowering adolescent girls and young women across Africa.