At a time when the suicide rate is going up every day in the country some concerned Lilongwe residents have ganged up to fight alcohol and drug abuse especially among the youth aged between 16 to 36.
The residents are from the populous townships of Kawale 1 and 2, Chilinde 1 and 2, Kaliyeka, Biwi, Chinsapo including Kawale Primary School and are working hand in hand with the Alcoholic Anonymous- a body which helps people to deal with alcoholism.
Deputy Secretary of the group, known as Zathu, Gibson Manda said in an interview that there are growing concerns all over the country on the way youths or even elders are abusing drugs and alcohol.
According to Manda there is no way one can stand aside and look when suicide rates are going up every day without taking action.
“We just heard that over 240 people have taken their lives in the first six months this year due to various reasons and one of them is drug and alcohol abuse. This is the reason why when we saw that there is need to have this body in place. Our youth are drinking uncontrollably and we decided to come together to find a common solution to reduce or even end this problem,” said Manda.
According to Manda when most of the youth are queried why they are drunkards they claim that they are stressed or depressed, they do not have jobs, due to peer pressure, marital challenges and lack of love from family members.
Manda disclosed that they have come up with several interventions to end this problem including cleaning of markets, production of products like candles, soap and juice as one way of creating employment for the youth.
“We are making these products so that some of the youth can be selling them thereby being kept busy. We are also contributing monthly as well as twice a week contributions to help members get loans to star small scale businesses.
Because of lack of funding Manda then appealed to well wishers to come and help them buy equipment for making soap, candles and juices and also materials to be used when cleaning markets such as wheel barrows, shovels,masks, brooms as well as gumboots.
Drug Fight Malawi Director Nicholas Zakeyu is on record to have said that alcohol and drug abuse are the main causative agents for skirmishes in families which sometime lead to suicides.
Director of Kamuzu Central Hospital Jonathan Ngoma recently told The Atlas Malawi that apart from receiving more victims of motorcycle accidents, alcohol is also one of the leading factors of admissions as well as deaths at the Kamuzu Central Hospital.
