PDF (Lessons learned in drug abuse prevention: a global review)

LOCAL
Prevention and Residential Rehabilitation Programme
for Child Addicts
REGION:
South Asia
COUNTRY: India
Organisation: SUPPORT
TARGET GROUPS:
● Street Children
● Young sex workers
● Homeless families and youth
SETTINGS:
● The street
● Residential rehabilitation
centres
● Vocational training centres
IMPLEMENTING AGENTS:
● Peer educators
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PROJECT PURPOSE:
The provision of peer education
to support children and
youth living on the street,
and the provision of a caring
and supportive residential
rehabilitation centre
COST: US $150,000
for four years
DURATION: 10 yearsand
ongoing
This concept and imagination was given by children and developed by an artist. This picture tells you that if
you take drugs your life becomes like a worm where people can step on you. This is also used to talk about
drugs and its impact.
Background:
Street children in Mumbai, like street children in general, are at a high risk of drug
abuse. In Mumbai, children often start smoking tobacco and other tobacco substitutes,
and then move gradually on to other drugs such as glue, liquid whitener, marijuana
and heroin. A gradual move from 'soft' drugs to ‘hard’ drugs is frequent among this
target group; therefore, the earlier intervention takes place, the less likely it is that the
children will have moved up this ladder.
Previous outreach work amongst street children by social workers of the organisation
indicated that children living in the streets have very little information on drugs and
HIV/AIDS, and lack the capacity to deal with these issues. The existing organisations
working with drug addicts were not specialised in working with children with this type
of background and their associated set of problems. The organisation therefore set up
a caring and supportive rehabilitation centre for this specific target group. When the
project began, none of the existing organisations working with street children in
Mumbai dealt directly with the issue of drug abuse and addiction.
This project fits in with the specific guidelines of India's drug abuse prevention policy.
Aims:
To reduce drug abuse and the incidence of HIV/AIDS among street children, young sex
workers and homeless families and homeless youth in Mumbai.
Main activities:
The project carries out multiple activities to inform the target group about the
consequences of drug use and HIV/AIDS, and to provide the children with personal and
vocational skills in order to reintroduce them to mainstream society. These primary
prevention activities are coupled with a residential rehabilitation programme.