By Enock Okong’o
The Red Cross Society of Kenya has pledged to join hands with teachers, parents and other community organizations to sensitize the youth against suicide.
Speaking at Kisii town on Saturday, the Society’s Kisii Branch Secretary Mr. Wycliffe Mikaya said that his group will introduce small clubs that will target students aged between 16 and 25 years.
“We shall target these groups because they are the most vulnerable due to challenges occasioned by the transition from childhood to adulthood,” he said.
Mr. Mikaya asked teachers to create support clubs and schedules in their schools for him and his officers to visit them at a frequency they will agree on.
“I call on school management committees and parents to support this noble step that we have taken to reinforce the counselling offered by teachers to our children,” he appealed.
He observed that most teenagers do not open up easily to their teachers and parents but instead bottle up their problems and finally resort to suicide.
The officer said that his group will provide neutral ground where the youth will share their problems freely and pave way for their therapy.
He asked the Kisii County government to consider aiding them with county vehicles to enable them move easily from one school to another.
Mr. Mikaya further appealed to Secondary and University leavers from the region to join his team.
He revealed that his group will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to tailor activities that will involve the youth to keep them busy.
“A few poultry farmers have offered to give chicks to interested,” he revealed.
