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Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-CADASA, a young organisation focusing on fighting the country’s drug problem celebrated its one year anniversary in Harare last week during commemorations to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse.

Standing for, Communities Against Drug and Substance Abuse, the organisation is working in the area of drugs and substances with goals to assist youths and children to stay away from them.

During a march on the day, the organisation went around the CBD picking bottles of Broncleer and filled 6 50kg bags within an hour.

Due to a misfiring economy where unemployment is at an approximately 90%, many Zimbabwean youths have turned to drugs and substance abuse and the scourge has become a national problem.

Currently the organisation has 4 programmes which they have to guide operations and these are Prevention and Awareness, Advocacy, Online Safety and Rehabilitation Services.

Speaking at the event the organisation’s founder and president Mazvita Shonhiwa said they were happy with progress made so far.

“Today CADASA not only commemorates the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking but is also celebrating a full year in existence”.

“A year that saw us finding our feet as an organisation and forming partnerships with like-minded organisations like SOS Children’s Village, National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children, Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance and relevant government departments like Ministry of Health and Child Welfare’s Mental Health Department’s Mental Health Department”, she said.

“At CADASA we are not naïve, we appreciate the war against drugs is a mammoth task but we also appreciate the power of prevention and awareness”.

“Thousands of Zimbabweans died during the cholera outbreak because they did not know about the simple act of washing hands before eating food and after using the toilet”.

“Once the masses were educated through Awareness Campaigns about washing hands thoroughly with either soap or ash, deaths got reduced to zero in a short space of time. We believe the same can be achieved for drug and substance abuse”, she said.

Shonhiwa bemoaned the lack of information within communities about the danger of drugs abuse.

“Most kids who are abusing think a hangover is the worst side effect one can experience after consuming, but they are sadly mistaken”.

“That’s where we come in, with education! Indeed, we have quite a task ahead of us but as CADASIANS we are very happy even if we save 5 kids out of 100 because that means 5 less mothers who have to bury their babies”, she explained.

The organisation has so far produced a short film, The Lost Generation, co-wrote and produced 2 anti-drug songs with an award winning artist Mannex Motsi of Transit Crew, called High on Life and Stop It.

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