Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
BULAWAYO has strengthened its grassroots response to the growing menace of drug and substance abuse after 80 community lay counsellors graduated from a two-month ‘Basic Counselling on Drug and Substance Abuse’ programme aimed at equipping communities with essential skills to tackle the scourge.
The graduates, comprising 25 men and 55 women, received certificates during a ceremony held at Bulawayo Polytechnic College following training conducted in partnership with the Office of the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Judith Ncube.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister, Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Paul Nyoni, said the country was facing a serious threat to public health, family stability and national development as drug and substance abuse continued to affect communities, particularly young people.
He said the consequences of substance abuse included increased crime, school dropouts, family disintegration, mental health challenges, unemployment and the loss of productive human capital.
“Government recognises that addressing this challenge requires more than law enforcement measures. It requires prevention, education, rehabilitation, community engagement and sustained support systems. Community-based interventions such as this training programme are critically important,” said Mr Nyoni.
He emphasised that while the certificates did not confer professional status as counsellors or psychologists, the training equipped recipients with fundamental skills to raise awareness, provide initial guidance and facilitate referrals to accredited rehabilitation centres and specialists.
“In this regard, you are the first-line responders within communities. You are the community champions who can help detect challenges early, encourage individuals and families to seek professional assistance and strengthen prevention efforts at grassroots level,” he said.
Mr Nyoni urged the graduates to become ambassadors of positive change and said the office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution had already mobilised about 100 members from various Government ministries, departments and agencies to undergo similar training at Bulawayo Polytechnic.
Bulawayo Polytechnic principal Mrs Chiedza Masanganise described the graduation ceremony as a celebration of commitment, service and collective action against one of the country’s most pressing social challenges.
She said the programme was in line with the Zimbabwe Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan (2024-2030), which seeks to bring together various stakeholders to prevent, manage and reduce the impact of substance abuse.
“In response to this national call, Bulawayo Polytechnic partnered with the Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Drug and Substance Abuse structures to contribute towards the Community Reintegration Pillar through skills development and capacity building,” she said.
Mrs Masanganise said the two-month programme equipped participants with knowledge and practical competencies in understanding the prevalence of drug abuse, identifying contributing factors, assessing its impact on families and communities, and developing basic counselling and psychosocial support skills.
“Today, we are proud to certify a group of dedicated lay counsellors who will serve as first psychosocial responders within their respective communities,” she said.
“The true value of this certificate will not be measured by today’s ceremony, but by the lives you transform, the families you support and the communities you help rebuild.”
Council for Churches in Africa (CCA) leader Archbishop Rocky Moyo commended the Government for spearheading a broad-based approach to combating drug and substance abuse, saying the church fully supported the initiative.
He said churches had witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of substance abuse on families and communities and welcomed the move to empower ordinary citizens with counselling skills.
“We applaud Government for taking a proactive and inclusive approach in addressing the drug and substance abuse scourge.
“As the church, we have warmly welcomed this development because it demonstrates that no sector of society can afford to stand aside while our communities are under attack from drugs,” said Archbishop Moyo.
“Drug and substance abuse has become a moral, social and spiritual crisis that demands collective action. Families are breaking down, young people are losing their future and communities are suffering,” he added.
“It is, therefore, encouraging to see Government emphasising prevention, rehabilitation and community reintegration.”
Archbishop Moyo said the church stood ready to deepen collaboration with the Government and relevant ministries to ensure more counsellors were trained.
“As the Council for Churches in Africa, we are eager to engage Government through the relevant ministries so that more church leaders and community members can undergo similar training.
Churches are present in every community and possess unique platforms to provide guidance, healing and hope.
“Together, we can restore dignity to victims, strengthen families and raise a generation that is free from the destructive grip of drugs and substance abuse,” he said.
Zimbabwe has intensified efforts to curb drug and substance abuse through a multi-sectoral approach involving Government institutions, churches, educational institutions and communities amid growing concern over the proliferation of illicit substances and their impact on the country’s social and economic development.
Invoking President Mnangagwa’s philosophy, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo”, Mr Nyoni said lasting solutions could only be achieved through shared responsibility and active citizen participation.
