Story by Tafara Chikumira, Midlands Bureau Chief
STAKEHOLDERS in the Midlands Province have come up with a raft of measures to deal with scourge of drug and substance abuse that is ravaging communities.
The upsurge of drug and substance abuse among youths in the Midlands province is increasingly becoming worrisome as the scourge is destroying the social fabric at an alarming level.
Various stakeholders in the Midlands Province have come together with a view to synchronise their action plans in dealing with the problem.
“The problem of drugs is now affecting the church as well. We have started programming to educate our youths on the dangers of partaking such substances. We have rehabilitation centres at most of the districts in the province,” Apostolic Women Trust Gweru District Health Officer, Mrs Ntombizodwa Revesayi bemoaned.
“We have a problem with most youths at tertiary institutions. The problem with drug and substance abuse is that when they get drunk, they end up indulging in unprotected sex hence sexually transmitted infections,” said Gweru District AIDS Coordinator, Mr Petros Mazengwa.
“As such we have created groups that are peer educators who are dealing with youths. We are also carrying out some serious voter education exercises through various channels,” he went on.
Chief Mkoba weighed in, “At every meeting we hold, the gospel is always about ditching drug and substance abuse. We have come up with committees that identify children in need of help.”
The government says the issue of drug and substance abuse has become topical as the Second Republic continues to put in place measures to deal with the problem.
“We have to agree as a community that we have a problem at hand. The problem we are facing is serious. The onus is on us to protect the future generations. We can’t have a society of drunkards. Let’s put our hands on deck and protect our future,” Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Larry Mavima asserted.
The Midlands Province has also established a provincial drug and substance abuse committee which will monitor progress and come up with policy recommendations on dealing with the vice.