By Kuda Pembere
Taking the fight against a disturbing trend of drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe were Chadcombe and Msasa Park residents who held a campaign against this scourge in partnership with
Faith Ministries International Chadcombe, alongside Population Solutions for Health (PSH), the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN).
Gogo Rwasunda a resident in Masasa Park told this publication she had to attend the event as her son is battling with drug and substance misuse. She resonated with the motto, “The Strength is in you to turn down drugs” coined by PSH.
I had to attend this event seeking ways to help him. My child is 26. We have tried the rehab once, but as I said earlier, they do not work until the child is willing.
“So, I found their motto going The Strength is in You, as an individual, and even when you go to the rehab, it will be successful. It won’t work if parents drag their children to the rehabs, they may relapse,” she said. “The strength is in my child. Sending him to rehab before he wants it is waste of time and money. When they return, they find their friends waiting for them.”
She would hear disparaging and threatening words like ndinokuputitsa (I will beat you into a pulp.)
“I now know some of the street lingo,” Gogo Rwasunda said.
She pleaded with Government to take this drug and substance abuse fight at each person’s door-step.
“This is a national crisis and my wish is the Government to build us rehab centres and provide counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers moving door-to-door like ZBC license inspectors. They should move in door-to-door seeing these children, teaching them because our future leaders are perishing,” Gogo Rwasunda said.
Faith Ministries International Chadcombe branch Overseer Tasiyana Makuwatsine said the campaign comes at a time drugs and substance abuse is destroying many lives.
“We are here today at Chadcombe Shopping Center, a place where we are doing a drug awareness campaign.
“We are saying no to drugs because these have destroyed lives and it is our responsibility as a church and the community to educate one another.
“We have PSH, who have come, with the Zimbabwe Drugs Organization to bring a campaign to say no to drugs.
“But First Mutual also to help us to check on our sugars and all that because the health is also important in our lives.
“So our thrust today is to come together to bring an awareness to say to people in Zimbabwe, our young people, say no to drugs.,” he said.
He said youngsters have power to refuse drugs.
“In the book of Proverbs chapter number 23 from verse number 19 it talks about my son listen to my instruction do not be given to wine and too much meat.
“You know so these are instructions that help us from the Word of the Living God you have a choice to make don’t allow things that you that you can consume to rule your life you know make sure that you listen to the instruction run away from drugs run away from substance abuse because this is destroying life,” said Overseer Makuwatsine.
The cleric noted that churches are there to edify instead of condemning people.
“So the church is in the community and the church being in the community we meet the people on a daily basis and if you open our churches for people to come and not condemn them but to be able to work with them and get an understanding of the love they will feel loved and they will they will be in a position to reform.
“So the church because it’s in a community it’s got a responsibility to reach out to the community and educate. Everything is about education we need to educate one another and the church has got to do that.
“And you take on the issue of going for rehab, getting treatment, adherence to treatment related to mental illness, especially that of drug and substance abuse,” Overseer Makuwatsine said.
