The rampant and illicit use of drugs, mainly kush and tramadol, amongst others, is destroying the lives of young people. Kush appears to be around for the last five years, and is causing havoc among young people in Sierra Leone.
Against this backdrop, the Hill Valley Academy, in collaboration with Patriotic Advocacy Network, has organized a day’s sensitization and awareness campaign on substance abuse and misuse. Even though the use of drugs is not synonymous with the school, but the administration wants to make sure that their kids do not engage in taking drugs.
Madam Zainab, Principal of Hill Valley Academy, in an interview, said the purpose of organizing this awareness campaign is to educate the students on the dangers of substance abuse and misuse. In her statement, she said that the role of the school is not only to give formal education and what they’ve learnt in school, but to give them the tools necessary to function well in society. She furthered that this is a long term project and they are open to collaboration with government and other organizations to see what they can do to tackle the illicit use of drugs
Some of the students shared what they have learnt and what is required of them to pass on the message in their various communities, and what needs to be done to put an end to this menace in society.
This awareness will help to change the mentality of youths in the school, according to Umar Jalloh, one of the senior staff in the school, furthered that they will try their very best to make sure that students abstain from taking drugs. He called on parents and guardians to advise their children from taking harmful substances that are posing danger to their lives. He concluded that the government needs to do more to help combat these harmful drugs.