SDA Church Uses Sport To Fight Drug And Substance Abuse
The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church is using sports to fight drug and substance abuse among youths in Matabeleland South Province.
The SDA church, working with its partners, hosted a sports gala in Bulilima District to educate young people on the effects of the scourge.
On Sunday, the church held various sporting activities such as football, volleyball, basketball and netball.
Youths who spoke to ZBC News welcomed the initiative saying young people now have something to keep them occupied. Said a youth:
We appreciate this initiative to fight drug and substance abuse through sport because it makes youth have something to do in the rural area.
The fact that this initiative is not a once of thing but a program is an ongoing initiative and will help us as youths in the area to concentrate on the activities especially those that love sports.
Brian Moyo of the Adventist Church said drug and substance abuse is no longer affecting urban societies only but has cascaded to rural areas as well. Moyo said:
This is a good initiative but it is high time to take awareness campaigns to places that have been marginalised for a long period such as rural areas.
Although drug and substance abuse seems to be prevalent in urban areas, the effects are also being felt in rural areas.
There is a need to talk about how Omalayitsha are bringing drugstore from Botswana and South Africa supplying youths.
We are going to capacitate the youths around the area of Solusi so that we tackle this issue and avoid relapses.
Commonly used substances in Zimbabwe include glue, bronclee, mangemba, tumbwa, cane sprit, marijuana, codeine and crystal meth (guka, dombo, mutoriro).
In case you have a son, daughter, friend, or relative who has a problem with drug abuse, the following public psychiatric institutions offer help in fighting drug addiction:
1. Sally Mugabe Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
2. Parirenyatwa Annex Psychiatric Unit (Harare)
3. Ingutsheni Psychiatric Hospital (Bulawayo)
4. Ngomahuru Hospital and Half-way House (Masvingo)
The following institutions also offer counselling and rehabilitation services for patients battling drug addiction:
1. Highlands Halfway Home +2638644210999
2. Ruwa Rehabilitation Centre +263273790238
3. Serenity Mind Centre +263716825245
4. Tirivanhu Rehabilitation +263773593014
5. Beatrice Rehabilitation Harare
6. Tariro Rehabilitation Centre, Harare
More: Pindula News
