THE Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), in its response to the recent upsurge in suicide, plans another ‘walkabout’ on April 1, this time in Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara.Residents of surrounding villages are also welcome to participate in the initiative, and the GRPA said it is looking forward to having more men support the event. It has been observed that most of the persons supporting these initiatives are women and children.

GRPA Executive Director, Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, feels that more needs to be done for youths struggling with suicidal feelings than the usual workshops and street walks. Those efforts do not actually translate into helping troubled youths, she observed, and so concrete measures ought to be put in place to deal with the upsurge in suicide that the country has been experiencing recently.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, she said a house-to-house approach is planned for April 1, so that the GRPA can have ‘bottom house’ conversations with those who may be affected by the social issue.

A similar initiative has already been conducted in Georgetown, and the GRPA plans to host several others throughout the country, Sheerattan-Bisnauth revealed.

GRPA is currently streamlining several initiatives to do its part in fighting suicide. It also plans to conduct sessions with parents, setting up a hotline number, and partnering with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) to put up more billboards on the issue.

In a previous interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Sheerattan-Bisnauth said that certain cultural issues have been playing a major role in the suicide epidemic. Therefore, the GRPA plans to give priority to certain specific communities in the country.

She said that although numerous cases have been reported in the press, there are still many more suicide cases that she is personally aware of that did not make the news.

“Everyone is going on a walk; no sense in (holding) the seminars. Sometimes we have to go to these people. They won’t come out or tell us their problems on the phone.”

President David Granger had convened an emergency meeting with several government ministers on the issue of suicide, and from that initiative emerged a plan of action that will see non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious organisations, and other civil society bodies working in collaboration with Government on a centralised approach to suicide prevention.

President Granger has indicated that he intends to employ a proactive approach in addressing this issue, and will be looking to implement a national programme that has measurable outcomes.