Work / The Suicide Review

I tried suicide so you don't have to.

We turned suicide survivors into reviewers, giving Nigerians searching for ways to die a reason to live instead.

Suicide in Nigeria carries deep stigma, making open conversation nearly impossible. There were few local reference points for those struggling or for the people trying to support them.

The task was to create something that could sit inside the counselling process and do real work: honest, specific, Nigerian, and built from lived experience rather than statistics alone.

Survivor as authority

Real Warri Pikin led the campaign as a survivor, not a spokesperson. Her credibility was the campaign.

Review culture as format

A familiar, trusted format applied to a topic people were conditioned to avoid entirely.

A permanent resource

40 curated stories on a dedicated website, available to counsellors, families and anyone who searches.

SEO as intervention

Built to intercept searches at the point of crisis, surfacing survival stories before harmful content.

The Problem

Stigma isolates people at the worst moment

There is a widespread misconception that suicide is un-Nigerian or a sign of weakness. That stereotype does not protect people. It isolates them and leaves loved ones unsure how to respond.

The Insight

The experience of surviving is expertise

Statistics show that nine in ten people who attempt suicide and survive never attempt it again. Their stories hold lived truth that can become a resource capable of saving lives.

The Idea

Make survival the review

We gathered survivor accounts and placed them where people in crisis were likely to search, turning the internet from a harmful path into a doorway to real Nigerian stories of survival.

Results

A prevention campaign designed to intervene at the point of search and give lived experience a public stage.