March 7, 2025
To mark International Women’s Day 2025, the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention has launched an online campaign to celebrate some of the incredible women worldwide who are helping to prevent deaths from pesticide self-poisoning.
From health and agriculture to environmental protection and academia, these women play diverse yet essential roles in addressing this important issue.
- Dr Piumee Bandara is a Consultant in Suicide Prevention for the World Health Organization (WHO). She provides technical guidance to governments to support countries to develop national suicide prevention strategies.
- Professor Dr. Chan Lai Fong is a Professor & Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). She is an academic, clinician and educator who has published and presented research in the area of pesticide suicide prevention.
- Dr Claudina Elington Cayetano is a Mental Health Advisor at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). She works with countries in the Americas, helping them to develop and implement suicide prevention plans
- Pramila Hashini is a Public Health Research Assistant at the South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration. She conducts community-based research in Sri Lanka to help develop suicide prevention strategies.
- Patricia Kombo Communications Officer at CEJAD Kenya. She uses strategic communication to inform, educate, and advocate for the elimination of highly hazardous pesticides.
- Shemiem Modiwirijo is Head of the Pesticide Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries of Suriname. She promotes responsible pesticide management through restrictions on dangerous pesticides, training, and policy development.
- Dra. Paula Cachacha F. Neto is Angola’s Pesticide Registrar. She collaborates with other countries in the Southern African region to reduce pesticide risks.
- Professor (Hanna-) Andrea Rother is Head of the Division of Environmental Health at the School of Public Health, University of Cape Town. Her work is focussed on addressing the health impacts from chemicals through research, education, communication, and policy engagement.
- Mrs Ivy Saunyama is an Agricultural Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Based in Zimbabwe, she provides technical support to governments to promote the phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides. She also actively supports regional collaboration in Southern and East Africa.
- Aastha Sethi is a Senior Officer, Policy and Advocacy (Rights) at United for Global Mental Health. Her work focusses on strategic advocacy to ensure that suicide prevention is recognised as a public health priority, with a major focus on decriminalisation of suicide.
- Divya Veluguri is Executive Director at Deccan Development Society, an organisation that collaborates with women farmers in Telangana, India to support organic, pesticide-free food production.
- Dr Janny Vos is Partnerships Development Director at CABI, which works with national and local government, commercial enterprises, and farmers, to reduce pesticide-related risks. This includes promoting safer, more sustainable alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides.
- Dr Sheila Willis is Head of International Programmes at Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK). She works internationally with local organisations to understand the impacts of hazardous pesticides and develop solutions. This includes helping farmers to adopt safer, affordable alternatives.
Find out more about each of their roles and why this work is important to them.