Awareness campaign to educate SA on drug addiction

ZIKHETHE: Break Free from Drugs is a campaign led by four women under the umbrella of the Sister’s Keeper Movement, with the common goal of serving the community.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the major challenges brought about by illicit drugs and what drugs represent to society, especially for the youth.

According to Olebogeng Moemisi, the project organiser, they never miss an opportunity to be involved in community-uplifting projects, including gender-based violence as well as women’s empowerment initiatives.

She said the campaign will mobilise support, inspire people to act against drug use, discourage the abuse of alcohol and drugs among young people and educate them on the negative impact of substance abuse.

“We were inspired to embark on an anti-drug campaign and the rehabilitation of addicts after having seen and experienced the suffering drugs bring to individuals, families, communities and businesses.

“We collectively dream of a drugfree society and encourage love and compassion, and we strongly believe addicts need love, patience, support and a reminder that they are needed by their communities,” said Moemisi. She said many young people abuse drugs by the early age of 12, and this means that they would have started using at an even younger age.

“There are several reasons that cause a pre-teen or teenager to become addicted; even more importantly, how or why they start to use in the first place. Understanding what causes drug and alcohol problems at such a tender age is the first step in the work needed to reduce substance abuse incidents...

“We plan to provide information through campaigns about the rehabilitation journey and drug prevention activity in communities, and the campaign will walk through the journey with the individuals signing up for rehabilitation. Once the rehabilitation programme has been successfully completed at partner rehabilitation centres, the recovering addicts will enter post-rehabilitation treatment for a period of one to three years.”

Moemisi added that aimed to reintegrate individuals into the community and, most importantly, offer skills development to address the relapse brought about by having to go back to the same cycle one was exposed to pre-rehabilitation.

Different skills development centres offering diverse skills would be engaged, she said.