Book on suicide launched

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling suicide and mental health challenges, stating that the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2027–2031 has reached an advanced stage and will soon be launched for implementation. Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy…

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling suicide and mental health challenges, stating that the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2027–2031 has reached an advanced stage and will soon be launched for implementation.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Lishimpi, who was represented by Manager Non-Communicable Diseases Brian Mwachisowa said suicide is not only a health issue but also a social, family, community and human issue.

Dr Mwachisowa was speaking during the launch of the book Suicide Is Not a Solution: Transforming Pain into Purpose authored by Duncan Nkhoma in Lusaka.

“As the Ministry of Health, we recognize that suicide is a mental health issue and that mental health is an essential component of our overall health and wellbeing,” he stated.

He said government welcomes initiatives that help break the silence around suicide, mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The Permanent Secretary said the book launch presents an opportunity to renew commitment to building communities where people feel safe to speak about their struggles and where those in distress can access timely and compassionate support.

“Let this book become part of a continuing conversation from this conference hall into our homes, schools, workplaces, communities and institutions that ‘Suicide Is Not a Solution’,” he urged.

Dr Lishimpi commended Mr Nkhoma for choosing to transform personal pain into public purpose and advocacy.

“Losing a loved one to suicide can leave wounds that are difficult to describe. Yet today, Mr Duncan Nkhoma has chosen not to allow his pain to end with him,” Dr. Mwachisowa said.

He added that the government, civil society, families, schools, health professionals, traditional and religious leaders, the media and the private sector all have a role to play.

“We must strengthen prevention, early identification, counselling and referral systems, while ensuring that people experiencing mental health challenges are treated with dignity and compassion,” he said.

Dr. Lishimpi encouraged citizens to support the initiative not only by purchasing the book but by joining the movement to create a Zambia where people can speak openly about mental health and seek help without shame.

Alliance for Suicide Prevention Zambia Chairperson Lena Kresojevic said Zambia needs an honest conversation about mental health, and that lived experience must shape how suicide is understood and prevented

She challenged common responses to distress: “Be strong, I’m fine,Just pray. There is nothing wrong with strength, and there is certainly nothing wrong with faith, but sometimes these words become places where we hide pain,” she said.

Sharing her own experience living with depression and having close relatives who attempted suicide, Ms Kresojevic said society must get comfortable with honest answers.

“If the answer is, ‘Actually, I’m not okay,’ we don’t need to have all the answers. We don’t need to fix everything. Sometimes we simply need to say, ‘Okay. Tell me what is happening.’”

Ms Kresojevic said the Alliance was formed because too many lives were being lost to suicide, including children and young people, and because efforts were happening in isolation.

Meanwhile, Book author and Board Chairperson of Telepath Futures Foundation, Duncan Nkhoma, said the idea for the book started when he was head boy at school, where students came to him with personal challenges.

“It was through those experiences that the desire to write a book was born, a book that could take a message of hope beyond the people I could personally reach,” he said.

Mr Nkhoma said the vision goes beyond the book and includes practical interventions to support people in distress.

He announced plans for Hope in Zambia a toll-free suicide prevention line, which the foundation hopes to launch within the next one or two months before the end of 2025.

“Our vision is for Hope in Zambia to provide a safe point of contact for people in distress with appropriate referral to motivational counsellors and other support services,” he said.

The foundation also intends to involve people with lived experience across the country, translate the book into local languages to reach rural areas and disabled communities, and in 2027 conduct a national outreach programme across Zambia.

He thanked ID from Australia for supporting the technology and ID system for the helpline, and the Rotary Club from Australia for donating $1,000 USD towards the toll-free line and called for more partnerships to make the vision a reality.