According to the World Health Organization, suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst youths especially students of tertiary institutions. In Lagos state, there have been recent cases of suicidal deaths among the student population. In commemoration of the World Suicide Prevention Month, Asido Campus Network, the youth arm of Asido Foundation, a mental health advocacy non-governmental organization, started the Envoys Fellowship.

The Envoys Fellowship is a mental health leadership fellowship program for undergraduate students in Lagos State, Nigeria. The six-month fellowship started with a physical training held on September 14th, 2024 with students from tertiary institutions in Lagos State.

The Founder/CEO of ASIDO Foundation, Dr Jibril Abdulmalik, Directors of Women’s Mental Health and Youth Mental Health in person of Dr Gbonjubola Abiri and Mr Mohammed Ahmed trained the participants on Self Care, Mental Health and Mental Health First Aid.

By the end of the training, the participants were not only equipped with the skills to take charge of their mental health but were also empowered as advocates to also provide mental health aid to their peers and community.

Over the next six months, these participants will work together to create a mental health toolkit for undergraduates to increase mental health awareness amongst undergraduates, improve efforts at mental health hygiene and ultimately prevent suicide on our campuses.

Dr. Atere Semiloore, the Pioneer President of the Asido Campus Network, described the project as a local, innovative initiative designed to tackle a global challenge and drive meaningful change.