Online Reporter
Online Reporter
HARARE-based Centre of Hope will tomorrow host a 5/10km marathon in the capital to help spread awareness against drug and substance abuse.
The centre is supported by Dr Kudakwashe and Mrs Sandra Tagwirei’s philanthropic arm, Bridging Gaps Foundation.
Themed “Run Free: Breaking The Chains”, the run will begin at Alexandra Sports Club in Milton Park at 6am.
In an interview, Centre of Hope director Pastor Nehemiah Phiri said the concept of a marathon would ensure participants focus on fighting drug abuse.
He said more than 1 000 participants have so far subscribed “and are ready to flee drugs and spread awareness”.
Subscription was mainly done via the centre’s digital platforms.
“Anyone is free to come and join us on this run, and subscription is free of charge,” said Pastor Phiri.
“This run is not only tailored to promote fitness, but also geared towards promoting life, wellness, unity, discipline and hope in a world where many are trapped physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – which is why we are saying: ‘Run Free: Break The Chains’.
“What we are saying is that moving away from drugs is not so easy. Therefore, one has to flee. The run is metaphorical in that we want users to flee from that pandemic.”
Pastor Phiri said this and other initiatives which Centre of Hope is running complements Government strategies to curtail drug and substance abuse.
In March, the centre marched in central Harare, and held a highly subscribed anti-drug symposium.
“The motto for our centre is ‘Giving Hope. Changing Lives’. Thus, we are available not only to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but to entire communities, meeting their needs.
“The centre has various types of counselling: group therapy, family therapy, individual therapy, nutrition therapy and mental health awareness, which we are taking to institutions and schools.”
Drug and substance abuse has become a nationwide problem, with authorities terming it “a public health emergency and national security concern”.
Statistics from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage show that police arrested 16 761 suspects between January 2025 and March 2026.
Of these, 12 915 were end-users of various drugs.
Further, 1 000-plus grammes of illicit substances were intercepted in the first two months of 2026 alone.
It is estimated 40 percent of admissions at Zimbabwe’s mental health institutions are linked to substance-induced psychosis.
