The City of Harare last week joined senior officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Christian and community leaders at the Ebenezer Transformation Centre in Warren Park for a day-long campaign against drug and substance abuse. In a speech read on her behalf by Senior Community Services Officer (Women, Youths, Sports, Arts and Culture) Ms Tariro Tizora, Head Education and Social Services, Mrs Lizzy Muchena, underscored the importance of aligning the City's vision to address among other issues the scourge of drug addiction and its negative impact on communities. "The City of Harare's vision of becoming a Smart City of Choice by 2030 must be understood in terms of both physical development and human development, where residents feel safe and where young people have opportunities," said Mrs Muchena. She called upon all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in order to consolidate prevention and social development programmes. Speaking at the Awareness Programme, Ebenezer Transformation Centres Coordinator Pastor Lina Madzinga, urged community members to seek help and refrain from concealing their struggles with drugs and substance abuse for fear of stigma and isolation. She attributed addiction to spiritual attacks and called on faith based organisations across all denominations to guide communities towards healing through prayers and counseling. Eminent clergymen based in Warren Park and Kambuzuma, students from local schools, community members and youth representatives turned up in large numbers to partake in the programme. Harare Municipal Police Band and Zimbabwe Republic Police Band provided spellbinding entertainment through song and dance punctuated by hard-hitting poetry recitals from poets young and old. Held under the theme, "Say no to drugs and substance abuse — choose life," today's awareness campaign forms part of community events lined up for October, a month designated by the government to promote Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention. The City of Harare directly supports government's response to drug abuse through demand reduction, by facilitating healthy recreation via public community centres and coordinating family reintegration of rehabilited addicts.
