The Ministry of Health and Social Services in the Ohangwena region has recorded 365 suicide attempts bewteen April 2024 and June 2025.
This was revealed by ministry chief social worker Josephine Kapweya at a suicide awareness workshop at Okongo on Thursday.
Kapweya said interventions were made, and lives have been saved.
The police, the health ministry and educators in the Ohangwena region this week took the first steps to addressing suicide in the region.
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The health ministry introduced the campaign at roadblocks where they handed out flyers with suicide prevention messages.
Kapweya said this is being done in commemoration with World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day commemorated on 10 September annually.
“We felt it would be helpful to the community following the president’s call for everyone to take responsibility of intervention as suicide has become an increasing issue in the country,” said Kapweya.
“There is a call on everyone to foster open discussions when facing troubles in our lives, to have compassion,” she said.
Education officials from the Okongo circuit gathered at the town where a workshop was conducted.
This workshop was necessitated by concurrent incidents of teacher suicides in the region two months ago.
Addressing the workshop, teacher Simon Shilongo said the incidents struck the teaching community deeply and has reminded many of the silent battles people fight.
“This workshop is not just about us as individuals but it is about equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills to cope with life’s challenges and to be a source of strength for those around us. It is painful beyond words to lose someone so close, and that is why we found it necessary to create this space where we can learn, share and support one another,” said Shilongo.
Paulus Ngiilwamo, a teacher from Okongo, says the session was engaging.
“This workshop spoke to realities facing us men and teachers at work and in our personal lives. I would like to encourage many more of these events. People are sitting in their workplaces with problems and do not know where to go and what to do,” he says.
