By Jacintavan Luijk | Coordinator and Education Officer
There is a Huge Problem
Locally, nationally and globally addiction to alcohol and drugs is recognised as a fast increasing problem that eats away at the core of people's lives and all aspects and classes of societies. Time over and again announcements are made that treatment and prevention of substance abuse is most urgently needed.
Yet time is passing, and little is done.
Lack of Understanding and High Stigma
At KAP, we have sadly taken note of the widespread beliefs that 'Addiction to alcohol and drugs are people's own choice', that 'Addiction is one's own fault', that 'Those addicted are bad and worthless people', that there is no hope of recovery, or even of prevention of the problem, and that spending funds in trying to do so is a waste.
Healing and Sobriety is Possible!
KAP started its Addiction Activities in 2004, which meanwhile has grown into its Abuse/Addiction Sub-Programme. It is strongly interlinked with its other sub-programmes of HIV/AIDS, violence and trauma and vulnerable youths' issues, with special emphasis on mental lack of health.
Between July 2024 and June 2025 our programme engaged 146 Clients in its community-based treatment programme for abusing/addicted people, called 'Steps to Healthy Living'.
During this year we also ran abuse/addiction psycho-education sessions of three (half) day sessions for 639 beneficiaries, mostly youths. In addition, thousands of youths, children and adults learned about addiction in one-day sessions or as integrated in other trainings.
We met great interest in learning more about 'addiction'. There also was amazing and encouraging perseverance towards, and achievement of sobriety by Clients, whose lives had seemed so impossibly damaged by alcohol and drugs. The commitment of KAP Community Recovery Coaches and Staff in their fight against addiction was truly impressive. Our previous reports described more details about this.
Despite the enormity of the problems, there has been an exciting current in the air caused by the positive changes experienced.
In the words of one of our Clients: "I want to change my name into 'Hope!"
“Addiction is Your Own Fault”... ?
Besides the medical fact that ‘Addiction is a disease’ - not a choice - societal and psychological developments have turned the condition into an even more complicated and toxic ‘soup’:
We met toddlers and babies growing up in the fumes and violence of the local brewing and drinking dens where their mothers work and live; found many ever-hungry children leaving their alcohol den-homes for the streets to somehow fill their stomachs; other little ones going to school with their rucksacks filled with drugs to deliver to ‘uncle'; girls as young as nine-years old serving alcohol and prostituting themselves; mothers feeding their children with beer for breakfast; youngsters getting married into even more poverty and abuse than what they were trying to leave behind; cycles and spirals of broken homes; severely depressed, traumatised and broken (young) adults; We also met some ‘well-respected people’ earning good money and education for their own children, by brewing alcohol or trafficking; the enforcers of the law turning a blind eye for extra income; politicians buying youths, gangs and alcohol to further their campaigns...
And too many institutions and leaders, including religious ones, parents, teachers and individuals often doing no more than casting their ill-informed judgments.
Everywhere, at every level of society, we continued to meet a serious lack of knowledge on the facts on Abuse and Addiction.
It Is Time To Act!
As demonstrated in our previous reports, despite the enormity of the challenges, we are happy to experience real impact.
In the past three months GlobalGiving donations helped KAP to run a Counselling Supervision session for our professional (Addiction) Counsellors (Staff) by a well-qualified and capable senior supervision Counsellor, Prof. C. Cheruiyot. GlobalGiving funds were also used in the implementation of a ‘Steps’ Addiction Recovery session in the Lukhuna/Premium area, a shanty town on the outskirts of Kitale.
As the fight against addiction can only be won through concerted efforts, we invite everyone to join, in whatever way possible!
YOUR DONATIONS HAVE MADE AND DO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE!
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