TRM Gaining Ground Against Drug Abuse

Chitungwiza Bureau

A fast-growing non-profit organisation centred on fighting against drug and substance abuse among youths has empowered school going teens of Chitungwiza with educational material prior to school opening tomorrow.

The event organized as a back-to-school programme Saturday, saw Chitungwiza-based Teen Rescue Mission (TRM) donating an assortment of textbooks to encourage youths to study and desist from taking drugs.

This follows the upsurge of cases were teens end up engaging in crime, violence, HIV prevalence and unwanted pregnancies due to irresponsible behaviour ascribed to drug and substance abuse.

TRM National Programmes Coordinator, Tafadzwa Mutsakanyi, said through campaigns, the organisation was gaining ground in achieving its call against drug abuse.

 Our campaigns against drugs around Harare, Bulawayo and other towns in the country are producing good results.

“As an organisation we have managed to introduce the programmes in churches, community areas and schools as a way of reaching out to our young people. We have seen the need to do these programmes as youths no longer have the erstwhile aunts and uncles who used to guide them after going astray.”

“Having engagements with them is turning out to be really helpful,” he said.

Mutsakanyi said through partnerships, TRM has managed to train more than 300 youths with life skill courses that have managed to rehabilitate addicts.

He called on cooperates and individuals to come on board to support this noble cause so that drug users do not end up destroying the country’s social fabric.

TRM Director, Abraham Matuka expressed joy on the success of the event while raising concern over increased crime and suicides due to drugs.

“As an organisation, we are satisfied with the event’s turnout. We were forced to do this programme after doing research on the rise of drug use by teens while at school.

“Minors as early as grade 3 they have started taking drugs due to peer pressure and experimenting which has become a great concern to the community and us. Drug use has been on the rise in high schools and we are losing young people through suicide under their influence. We are also having rise in crime. This is now a pandemic that now needs all of us to put our heads together,” he said.

Matuka highlighted that TRM has trained ambassadors imparting knowledge to those who are still hooked on drugs to desist from the act before calling on government, cooperates, embassies and individuals to support them.

“We have managed to train some teens and youths who are now ambassadors speaking to their peers in languages they understand on drugs. We are happy that the message is being spread through as they go back to school. We need more of this and this is a war that needs all of us to join our heads and fight.”

“Resources are limiting us as we still struggling to get funding and it’s our call to have assistance so we stand to save our young generation.”

Parents and some youths who attended the event appreciated the outreach.

 Shareef Mbele a youth from Royal Squad thanked Teen Rescue Mission for coming up with this great programme focused on the teens and youths fighting drugs.

“Young need this kind of approach which rules condemnation and all. Yes we know we are going astray but with today’s programme gave us a vision that those using drugs still have a chance and better options to put their lives in order.”

Tafadzwa Masara (17) was grateful after receiving free counselling from the organisation.

“I thank TRM for coming with this programme. For sure using drugs at school has ruined our lives. The good thing about this programme was that we had the privilege to speak to TRM counsellors and getting information on how to abstain from drugs.”

Agnes Muranda (14) said the eent helped her realise the importance of abstaing from drugs that have led to unwanted pregnancies among girls.

“Young girls are now using drugs. This has caused a lot of unwanted pregnancies and young girls getting HIV. We feel these programmes are really helpful in protecting the girl child.”
Mrs Mutema a parent who attended the event appreciated the guardian role TRM was playing in their children’s lives.

“We salute TRM for standing in the missing the gap for us parents and the children. I was following how they were relaying their message. Surely, we no longer know how to speak to our children on issues of drugs. Having TRM dish out this awareness warrants our appreciation as parents,” she said. 

Guests were entertained through music, dance and poetry acts from the beneficiaries of the programme. Nhau/Indaba