Monrovia – An international humanitarian organization based in the United States, Sons of Kings and Daughters of Queens Academy (SOKAM) has alarmed over high level of addiction problems faced by Liberian youths, stressing that the situation needs urgent redress.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah – [email protected]
Addiction, according to SOKAM’s president, Joe Wooley, is responsible for many young people getting involved in all kinds of social vices.
He noted that there is a need for a strategic approach to avert addiction in Liberia.
According to him, drugs addiction by Liberians and issues associated with it are of serious concern to his organization which he looks forward to addressing.
Wooley said an assessment conducted by his organization revealed that there are several disadvantaged youth living in cemeteries in Liberia and are using the bones’ marrow of the dead for drugs satisfaction.
As a result of this assessment, SOKAM says it will embark on a program to get disadvantaged youths from various hangouts and streets across Liberia.
In addition, the group disclosed the construction of a rehabilitation center in the country that will host several of these youth who will be taken off the streets.
“We all know with addiction comes other things, especially where young people are involved in this problem and extending it within the community and devastating family and government as a whole,” Wooley said.
SOKAM, according to Mr. Wooley, is keen at getting rid of these negative associations by disadvantaged youths such as ‘Zogoes’ by relocating them to a distanced environment that will deprive them from their negative addictions.
He added that his organization will strive to erase the negative perception about these youth and give them new identities.
“We know that if this is done, there will be positive uplifting of themselves, families and communities as a whole,” he said.
SOKAM president named rehabilitation, self-empowerment and reintegration as approach that the organization intends to use to restore the lost image of young Liberians.
He further pointed out that this approach stands from challenges faced in getting them reintegrated into normal lifestyles.
Wooley said his organization will seek grants from local and international organizations to support its life skill training, rehabilitation, capacity building and university education program.
At the same time, SOKAM national spokesperson, Ben Jonson, said recruiting disadvantaged youths from streets and ghettos as the program is still in its embryonic stage.
Johnson indicated that the process will be done on a stage-by-stage basis because of their different class of addictions.
“Some people situations are more chronic than others and they will be taken out of their environments and placed at specific locations where we will have to go through series of treatment plan,” Johnson said.
He said most of the organization’s that are focused on rehabilitating drugs addicts and disadvantaged youths are often not successful due to their failure to meet the required time frame for rehabilitation.
Johnson believes if drug addicts are allowed to go through the 90 days treatment, it would help prepare them for the final stage of their recovery process.