Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Dr Mengi: Fight drug use among youths


IPP Executive Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi (R) in talks in his office in Dar es Salaam yesterday with Lions Club delegation led by Joseph Kiwanuka (L), District Governor for Uganda and Tanzania. (Photo: Selemani Mpochi)
IPP Executive Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi yesterday appealed to Lions Club International to introduce programmes aimed at fighting drug abuse, especially among youths, saying there were all signs that Tanzania could lose the generation to the vice.
Young drug addicts usually become physically and psychologically debilitated, he said, adding that if immediate interventions are not put in place to rescue them most would permanently be incapacitated.
Dr Mengi made the call to Lions Club International delegates who paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Dar es Salaam. They were led by the club’s District Governor for Uganda and Tanzania, Joseph Kiwanuka.
“If I may review, Lions Club activities are related to health issues such as eyesight, heart problems and diabetes. Lions need to incorporate fighting drug abuse as another area of concentration in a move to rescue the youth,” he said.
He was however optimistic that when advocacy campaigns are strongly put in place in different communities, the country would be drawn out of the drug trap that has been pulling back economic progress.
He said the young generation would be technically ruined if efforts are not made to enable people to stop accommodating drugs in their communities.
Dr Mengi censured drug dealers for partnering with strong and powerful people in destroying the younger generation, saying: “What is stunning is that many people don’t see the problem with
drug use. …The courage to deal with drug dealers is a big challenge and parents continue to be helpless.”
Responding to the remarks, Kiwanuka said the club has already introduced programmes at primary and secondary school levels in Uganda meant to address the menace.
He however noted that, despite the initiatives put in place by Lions Club International, more efforts aimed at raising public awareness on the matter were needed.
“We shall review the programmes, especially for Tanzania, to see how awareness campaigns will be implemented from the grass-roots level, in primary and secondary schools, so as to educate the students on the side effects of using drugs,” he said.
Kiwanuka further noted that regular programmes of the nature in schools call for a lot of financial support and that the club would consider how to go about it.
The IPP Executive Chairman also called upon all those who are economically blessed to be humble and get the courage of helping needy members of society.
He explained that he was helping those socially, economically and otherwise disadvantaged owing to his own feeling of being personally obliged to do so.
Dr Mengi assured the delegation that he would play an effective role in disseminating information on drug abuse, adding: “We should all get humanity to extend a helping hand.”
The Lions Club governor is in Tanzania for a ten-day visit, during which he is expected to inspect projects being implemented by the club before he winds up business in Arusha next week.
Accompanying him were his wife Judith Kiwanuka, LCI first vice governor William Ndesanjo and upcoming district governor Salim Sulemanj as well as club member Shiraz Rashid.
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organisation bringing together over 45,500 clubs and 1,368,683 members in 205 countries. It was founded by Melvin Jones in 1917 and is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, in the US.
The organisation is principally there to help meet the needs of communities on a local and global scale.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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