Nigel Kunaka, PSH Marketing Manager
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The church plays a significant role in the fight against drug and substance use because it is the sustainable way of providing support to users and care givers.
This was revealed by Nigel Kunaka, the Marketing Manager for Population Solutions for Health (PSH) on Tuesday, during a Religious Leaders Sensitisation Meeting.
Kunaka leads the implementation of The Strength Is In You anti-drug campaign, which is supported by the Embassy of Sweden.
“Basically what we are trying to achieve is to discourage drug use behaviour amongst young people as well as encourage social support and empathy for those who are using drugs, as well as capacitate care givers on how to navigate issues to do with a child for exampl using drugs.
“Today we gathered local religious leaders specifically because we acknowledge the role that the church plays, it’s a pivotal touch point for us to reach the care givers who we are engaging through the campaign.
“It’s also a pivotal touch point for us to reach young people. I think this is an acknowledgement that everyone and anyone can be affected by drugs. I think from the testimonies that have been coming through, the conversations; anyone can be affected, including in the church.
“And what we are trying to build is that social support structure within communities through churches because the church is a sustainable way of providing support for people who are using drugs and their caregivers, this is why we gathered people here.
“And I’m very encouraged by the sentiments that were echoed, there was a real acknowledgment that we need to do something collectively to address the challenge of drug and substance use,” said Kunaka.
He further revealed that the meeting had shown that the message of love should always be spread so as to avoid stigma.
“One thing that kept on coming out was love, we need to practice love in its totality. There is a lot of stigma when it comes to drug and substance use currently.
“But if we open up about these issues, even in the church where probably where someone expects no one to be using drugs, if we open up, we will create an enabling environment, we will address the problem.
“So this is part of the initiative that we are taking to provide social support and reach young people at risk.”
Kunaka also revealed that “The Strength Is In You” campaign, basically means that the strength is in you to down turn drugs, which is a multimedia campaign being implemented to dissuade drug use behaviour amongst young people and health care givers who are also navigating the challenges of having a child who is affected by drugs.
He added: ”we are amplifying the linkages that exist between drug and substance use as well as sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues.”
Kunaka further revealed that in most cases, people think of crime, issues to do with broken social ties but there are also other negatives outcomes in terms of SRH issues like unintended pregnancies, exposure to HIV and STIs.
“We know that once you are under the influence of drugs, your decision making is compromised, there are drugs that are being taken at parties, things like ecstasy, they call it the party drug.
“So in short, drug use perpetuates or it encourages risky sexual behaviour and we are also amplifying the linkages to gender based violence (GBV).
“You will notice that in many instances, the enabler of the GBV act is alcohol, it’s a drug.
“Someone will tell you I had a fight with my wife, but I first of all went and drank alcohol and I beat her up, so it’s the enabler.
“As well as amplifying the linkages with mental health because we don’t usually look at how mental health can drive people to use drugs and vice versa, how drugs can have a negative impact on mental health,” added Kunaka.
Overseer Lemmy Tonderai Kamuchira from Grace Harvest Ministries International
Overseer Lemmy Tonderai Kamuchira from Grace Harvest Ministries International, said: “as the church I believe we have got a very big role that we need to play as community leaders because as the church, we don’t live on an island, we are not an island on our own.
“We draw our congregates from the community, the very community that is also being affected by this issue of drug use and substance abuses.
“So we believe since we draw our membership from this community, we need to play an active role as community leaders for us to be able to address this issue.
“We know that is not an issue that only the church can address, we need help from other community leaders but it is the church which deals directly with the community.
“I believe we have a very important role that we need to play,” said Overseer Kamuchira.
He added that another challenge which the church should also address is stigma as it derails all efforts being made in the fight against drug and substance use.
“One of the challenges that we also need to address as the church is the issue of stigma because unfortunately from what we have noticed, maybe some of the blame we need to take it on our own because some of the stigma that people are coming from in the world, they are actually facing it in the church.
“So there will be some form of segregation from some other people in the church but let us remember when these people are coming from the world and into the church, they are coming into the church as a centre that carries the solution, some of them they are actually coming as a cry for help that they are needing assistance from the church.
“So as the church we should not be a contributor to the problem maybe by driving these people back into the community.
“This is the reason why we need to be fully equipped on how we can assist people facing the challenges of drug and substance use,” added Overseer Kamuchira.
Reverend Isaac Chatsiwa Mutsengi of Apostolic Gospel Church Renewal
Reverend Isaac Chatsiwa Mutsengi of Apostolic Gospel Church Renewal, shared similar sentiments saying drug use is now a scourge which needs collective effort hence the church too has a role to play.
“As the church we should provide awareness campaigns, so that those who are not yet into drugs should be discouraged from doing so, being educated on the harmful effects (of drugs).
“For those who are already on drugs, we are providing counselling, we are teaching them the dangers of drugs and how they should stop taking drugs.
“Then we are also targeting the spiritual part, we encouraging prayer and we are not ending there, but we also teaching kids how to be self-sustaining, so that those who are recovering can also have their own income generating projects.
“Another challenge that we are faced with is that of stigmatization, such that when people who use drugs get into places where they think they can get help, they are segregated against.
“So we are preaching the message of love, we need to encourage love for one another, we should provide care for people who use drugs so that they can turn their lives around for the better,” said Reverend Mutsengi.
