By Flata Kavinga
A support group has been formed in Kwekwe to help parents cope with the challenges of raising children affected by drug and substance abuse, Youth and Talent Organisation (YATO) programmes coordinator Doreen Matanhire has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Zimbabwe (CCJP-Z) Stakeholders Engagement and Programme Ownership Meeting at St Edwards Catholic Church in Kwekwe Matanhire said the initiative was aimed at supporting parents who often bear the brunt of the effects of substance abuse after their children become dependent on drugs.
She said the group meets monthly to discuss challenges faced by parents, provide guidance and encourage them to seek rehabilitation and counselling services for their children.
“It remains a challenge for children that are already involved in drug and substance abuse. As a result, we decided to form a support group for their parents where we meet every month to discuss problems they face and educate them on taking the children for rehabilitation where they get some form of counselling,” Matanhire said.
She said parents were increasingly becoming central to efforts to assist children affected by substance abuse, particularly where the children themselves were no longer responsive to interventions from their families.
“It is now the parent who faces the problem and not the affected child. The affected child no longer cares about what is happening around him or her. So we decided to work with the affected children’s parents,” she said.
Matanhire said YATO was working with Kwekwe City Council’s Amaveni Rehabilitation Centre and relevant government ministries to provide parents with information, skills and support.
She said the programme also encouraged parents to take their children for rehabilitation and counselling where necessary.
“We give them skills and support to look after the affected child and encourage them to take the child for rehabilitation,” Matanhire said.
Drug and substance abuse has emerged as a growing concern among young people, with communities and organisations calling for stronger prevention, treatment and rehabilitation interventions.
