National body set up to fight drug and alcohol addiction
12.09.2009
A new national body dedicated to fight against drug and alcohol addiction was presented this week at the National Institute for Education.
The launch of the National Commission for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Dependency (NCPA) was carried out by Designated Minister Danny Faure in a ceremony held in the presence of the seven members of the group.
Among these are a doctor, teachers, pastors and members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA).
The new commission is the national chapter of the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA).
This is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1952 which seeks to reveal the impact of such dependencies on the economic, political, social and religious life of the nation and point out effective preventive action.
Also present were Minister for Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Vincent Meriton; government business leader in the National Assembly Marie-Louise Potter; ICPA world executive director Peter Landless and its regional director Alexis Llaguno; and Oswaldo Lara, who will be in charge of the organisation’s Indian Ocean bloc.
And among the others there were SDA mission president Michael Bijoux; Port Victoria Bishop Denis Wiehe; Liaison Unit for Non-governmental Organisations of Seychelles vice-chairperson Marie-Nella Azemia; Campaign for Awareness, Resilience and Education against substance abuse (Care) director Noella Gonthier; Drug and Alcohol Council (Dac) director Benjamin Vel; and chairperson of the new NCPA Sarah Sabadin.
Addressing the committee and the audience, Mr Faure said he feels this year’s national theme Koste Seselwa is bearing fruit.
He said drug and alcohol abuse is now considered by many to be threatening national development, and consultative meetings in the districts have highlighted these feelings.
“The ICPA Seychelles chapter will be a plus, a driving force in the domain of prevention, where young people will be mentored and helped to build their resilience to stay the course, not to falter, not to fall into the living hell that alcoholism and drug addiction can bring to their lives,” said Mr Faure.
He said leaders of various churches joined together earlier this year in the spirit of Koste Seselwa to help other organisations and the government to fight against substance abuse.
He added that an interfaith committee was set up, which has presented a joint declaration to the president and the government. This committee again showed its commitment by taking part in a march against drug abuse.
Mrs Sabadin said it takes great courage to launch into a field full of challenges recognised as the world’s greatest killers in this century – alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
But she said there is hope and a bright future for our children when all forces are put together to combat such scourges of society.
She called on all those who wish to join the committee in its activities to do so, as we should all give support to the people in our society who are in need.
Mrs Sabadin told the media that the committee will focus on prevention and will work closely with other NGOs and institutions that have the same goals, such as Dac and Care.
She explained that the first step is to make people understand more about the NCPA and its aims in building better communities.
She said the SDA is against the use of alcohol and drugs, and that was one factor that spurred it on to help set up such a commission.
Speaking about the historical background of ICPA-NCPA, At-Risk Committee chairman Alex Esparon said the initiative started with the President’s state of the nation address, which had a great impact on the SDA.
He explained that after that speech, a committee was set up by the church to assess the problem of drug abuse here and search for solutions.
“A mentorship pastoral care programme was launched in many districts, targeting young people on the streets and in institutions like schools and the prison,” said Mr Esparon.
He said the programme started with the formation of young leaders from the SDA, and these mentors were then placed in districts such as Plaisance, Roche Caïman and Mont Fleuri to help the young people through counselling and extra-curricular activities.
Mr Esparon said they then decided to get in touch with the ICPA for more help in tackling the problem of drug and alcohol abuse here.
He revealed that two youngsters under the age of 15 who were getting help under the programme have become more conscious of their worth and are now back at school.
He said the church felt it had to do something to reach out to youths in all communities, and Seychelles is now among the 100 local chapters of the ICPA.
Concerning the kind of support the ICPA will give to the local group, Mr Landless said guidelines and a constitution will be presented to help in preventing addiction.
He explained that the ICPA will help with their resilience, mentorship and training programmes.
Financial aid is also provided for all national chapters, and matching funds will be given to them if they raise their own.
Mr Landless said the organisation will also do its best to support the local commission with resources, projects and infrastructure, which is provided by the SDA.
Talking about the success of other NCPAs across the world, he said in Kenya, for example, they made a book on drug and alcohol addiction which became a textbook in the schools there.