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171X : Role of NGOs in Drug Demand Reduction

Role of NGOs inDrug DemandReduction

CHAPTER X

R. Ray

Role of NGOs inDrug DemandReduction

172 X : Role of NGOs in Drug Demand Reduction

This chapter outlines the activities of several NGOs in theregion in drug demand reduction, and delineates thecontributions from several agencies, both national andinternational. An attempt has been made to depict thevariety and range of activities undertaken by them; casestudies have been presented as box items.

In Sri Lanka, a common mandate led to the formation ofthe Federation of Non-Government Organizations AgainstDrug Abuse (FONGOADA) in 1986. The Federation is arecognized umbrella organization that works in tandemwith local NGOs and international agencies. Currently,FONGOADA has eight full-time members, all non-profitNGOs, supported by 14 other organizations that areengaged in a number of service activities. Major areas ofactivity are:l NGO support programme through quality assurancel WHO seed projectl Counsellor trainingl European Economic Commission supported projectl Publications

Campaigns on occasions such as World Temperance Dayand World Anti-Drug Day are also carried out.(FONGOADA, 1997; National Master Plan, Sri Lanka). Inaddition, numerous organizations in the country carry outdrug control activities while not being members ofFONGOADA.

A description of activities by individual organizations hasbeen provided — the range of activities conducted by SriLanka Anti-Narcotics Association (SLANA) and Alcohol andDrug Information Centre (ADIC) in Sri Lanka are discussed

It has been seen in earlier chapters (chapters VI, VIII andIX) that many NGOs are actively involved in drug demandreduction activities in this region. This is in keeping withthe role of voluntary organizations in several health andwelfare programmes. A number of these organizations arevery resourceful, have dedicated workers and haveattracted funding from both the government and severalinternational donor agencies.

Gulhati and others (1995) reviewed voluntary action inhealth, environment and women’s development in India.They found that NGOs broadly fell into two categories.The first consisted of organizations that undertook functionsfor the benefit of their members. The other kind helpedgrassroot groups who were not necessarily members.

A few received generous funding from the governmentand were largely governmental in character. Othersgenerated their own resources. Both had some factorsin common — high voluntary participation, a lesserdegree of institutionalization and usually non-profitmaking and self- governing. Some NGOs are dedicatedorganizations and have a great deal of expertise in thearea of demand reduction, while others are involved inmany activities including drug abuse control. Some arehighly vocal and play an important advocacy role tohighlight various drug abuse related issues, demandinga national action plan. Gulhati et al. also commentedthat collaboration between the government and NGOswas crucial for successful implementation of aprogramme.

Interaction between GOs and NGOs can be of differenttypes: (a) exchange of information only, (b) pilot-testingof government initiatives, (c) innovations achieved byNGOs are replicated by the government on a larger scaleand (d) joint delivery of service. However, there can beseveral instances of friction and often governmentsmay try to change the policy and programme of theNGOs.

NGOs are extremely active in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.In fact, in Nepal and Sri Lanka most preventive educationand treatment rehabilitation measures are carried outalmost exclusively by NGOs. India has the highest numberof NGOs in the region, most of which complement thegovernment’s efforts well.

A Play by the Indian Councel of Education in Tihar Jail

CHAPTER X

ROLE OF NGOs IN DRUG DEMAND REDUCTIONR. Ray


in Box Items 30a and b. Both organizations are supportedby UNDCP.

In Bangladesh, NGOs have become a respectablealternative force working towards socio-economicdevelopment. Their activities include non-formal literacy,empowerment and treatment and rehabilitation of drugaddicts. Bangladesh Rehabilitation and Assistance Centrefor Addicts (BARACA) is approved by the government andis involved in several activities. It was visualized that NGOscould contribute towards prevention, education, andawareness building besides treatment and rehabilitation.As mentioned in chapter VI and the Country Profile(Annexure 1), Bangladesh has nine dedicated NGOsworking towards drug demand reduction, with a total of190 beds between them for in-patient treatment. The reportfrom one of these organizations, APON, indicates the kindof activities that have been carried out in recent times (seeBox Item-30c).

In Nepal, a number of NGOs provide detoxification andtreatment centres. Five of the 81 registered NGOs areextremely active. Between them, the NGOs have 102 bedsand carry out most demand reduction activities. Severalinnovative projects have been executed, including a needleexchange programme by LALS (chapter VIII, Box Item-21).

In India, the Ministry of Welfare has encouraged NGOs toinvolve themselves in drug demand reduction. Till March1997, 341 centres have received assistance from theMinistry; 218 of these are drug awareness centres and 123are treatment and rehabilitation centres. In 1996-97,3,05,098 persons were registered for help (Country Profile,India). Several activities including awareness building,prevention and mass awareness programmes besidestreatment and rehabilitation have been carried out. Manyinnovative projects are up and running, including the useof street theatre to create awareness on drug abuse (BoxItem-30d) and drug abuse prevention and rehabilitationfor street children (Box Item-30e). The NavjyotiRehabilitation Project is an example of collaborationbetween agencies involved in supply reduction (police)and demand reduction activities (Box Item-30f). Drugabuse awareness prevention has been carried out amongcriminal addicts (Box Item-30g). All these activities havereceived assistance from UNDCP. Several other NGOactivities have been covered in previous chapters —therapeutic community in prison (chapter VIII, Box Item-19), buprenorphine maintenance in an urban slum of Delhi(chapter IX, Box Item-28) and prevention and control ofdrug abuse at the workplace (chapter IX, Box Item-29).

Several NGOs have formed an umbrella forum orfederation in their respective countries — from

FONGOADA in Sri Lanka, to the National CoordinationCouncil of Anti-Drug NGOs (NCCADN) in Bangladesh(Box Item-31), as well as the Bangladesh Anti-DrugFederation of NGOs (BADF, Box Item-32) and FINGODAPin India (Box Item-33).

Several regional or inter-country federations of NGOs alsoexist. These include the SAARC NGO Forum, SAFNGO,(Box Item-34) and the Asian Harm Reduction Network,AHRN (Box Item-35). Their objectives and activities havebeen described in these boxes as illustrative case studies.In 1990, the SAARC Secretariat convened the first meetingof NGOs in prevention of drug abuse in Kathmandu, andthe SAARC NGO Forum was established in April 1995 ata meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A pro-tem committeecomprising 15 members was appointed. Various themessuch as networking, community mobilization, activities,training needs and partnerships between GOs and NGOswere discussed. Another inter-country group for the regionmet in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1994. The deliberationsand consensus statement on standards of service andtraining needs are available in the Forum Report (1994).The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme and theSAARC Secretariat have both been very active in this regard.

In his address at the SAARC meeting of NGOs in Dhaka(1995), Professor Kodagoda enumerated the severaladvantages of NGO involvement in drug control measures.He also pointed out several deficiencies among the NGOs— lack of planning, inadequate evaluation, narrow focusand poor coordination with GOs. He was optimistic,however, and felt that NGOs were an essential and integralcomponent of both national and international drug controlmeasures.

The advantages of NGOs are numerous. Organizations witha good community support base have a closer relationshipwith their local constituencies and their activities tend tobe self-sustaining. The significant role played by NGOswas acknowledged in Article 71 of the Charter of the UnitedNations, which recognized their role in drug demandreduction. In recent years, more emphasis has been placedby United Nations bodies — including UNDCP — oncooperation with NGOs. NGOs in consultative status mayattend CND meetings as observers. It is likely that specialistNGOs would be highly active in the future and shapenational policy (UNDCP, 1997).


1. Country Profiles — Bangladesh, India, Nepal and SriLanka (see Annexures).

2. Forum Report (1994): ‘Forum meeting — Colombo,Sri Lanka’, September, 1994.

3. Gulhati, R, K Gulhati, A Mehra and J Rajan (1995):Strengthening Voluntary Action in India. KonarkPublishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi.

4. National Master Plans, Bangladesh, India, Nepal andSri Lanka.

RESOURCE DOCUMENTS

5. FONGOADA (1997): ‘Report of the Secretary’.

6. SAARC Forum (1995): ‘The Role of NGOs in DrugDemand Reduction: Report of the meeting held atDhaka, Bangladesh, April 1995’.

7. UNDCP (1997): World Drug Report. Oxford UniversityPress, New York.


Founded in 1988, the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association(SLANA) is a non-governmental resource centre for thepromotion of drug abuse prevention in Sri Lanka. SLANAwas established in response to the challenges of drug abuseand to carry out the task of drug abuse prevention.

In partnership with individuals, private and publicinstitutions, non-governmental and community basedorganizations, SLANA seeks to meet today’s challengesthrough education and human resource development andto apply social marketing techniques to education, training,research, technology management and behaviouralanalysis.

SLANA brings to the field of drug abuse prevention a broadrange of programmes and products to raise awareness onthe issues, challenges and the benefits that prevention offersto individuals, communities and the country. Its membershipforms the organizational backbone and provides a keyresource for interpersonal communication against drug abuseas well as a direct link to local communities.

The mission of SLANA is to provide leadership in preventiveactivities, especially in primary prevention by formulatingand initiating effective strategies to develop lifetime skillsfor the disadvantaged citizens of Sri Lanka, therebyempowering them to participate and contribute towardsthe development and democratic processes of Sri Lanka.

Backed by its expertise in drug prevention activities, SLANAproposed to provide knowledge to concerned people atthe community/grassroot level (change agents), and toimpart the necessary skills for drug abuse prevention at aprimary level. The latter was done through a resource guidethat can be utilized by peripheral implementers with diverselevels of expression and knowledge for creating change.

Change refers to modifications that may take place inpeople, relationships, organizations, communities orsocieties. Change can be defined in an endless variety ofways, but in general change refers to modifications thattake place within people and relationships. It sets outwhat should be done by change agents who are about tobecome involved in a change relationship. By focussingnot on what could happen but rather on what should be

done, the model provides some guidance on how toundertake a change effort.

The objectives of this programme are to provide theessential concepts and strategies of drug abuse preventionand to provide skills to plan and implement drug abuseprevention activities and programmes for integrating withother community based responses.

The training has been designed to focus on the needs ofdiverse community planning teams, rather than on theindividuals who make up the teams. The training is highlyinteractive and participatory.

The development of the module (guide) evolved through:l assessment of needs of three different communities

l assessment of community resources and levels ofinformation needed

l national assessment of peripheral implementers at aworkshop.

The criteria for selecting locations for testing the modulewere production, prevalence and trafficking of drugs ofabuse.

The module (guide) includes handouts, visual material(transparencies) and a manual, with agendas for one-day,two-day and three-day programmes. The content isfocussed on primary prevention strategies to beimplemented by these peripheral implementers. It includesprinciples of primary, secondary, tertiary prevention andtechniques of planning. The project activities are supportedby UNDCP and it is proposed that these should bedocumented and reported in publication form. We hopethat this guide will be useful to other countries in the SAARCregion.

BOX ITEM - 30a

DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING GUIDES FOR PERIPHERAL IMPLEMENTATIONS,SLANA

Dharshine Guniyangoda



BOX ITEM - 30b

DEMYSTIFICATION APPROACH TODRUG PREVENTION IN SELECTEDCOMMUNITIES (ADIC)

Kushlani Amarasuriya

BOX ITEM - 30c

APON—ADDICTION REHABILITATIONRESIDENCE, DHAKA

Br. Ronald Drahzoal

Bangladesh is a small country with a very densepopulation. Though largely rural, its cities are growing atunmanageable rates. A large and growing number of the125 million people in the country are either abusing oraddicted to drugs.

APON is located in Mohammadpur, a residential suburbof the capital, Dhaka. This area also includes schools,markets, refugee camps, a sweeper colony and slums. Allsorts of drugs are readily available to anyone of any age.

APON was established in 1988 and is one of the two drugrehabilitation centres in Bangladesh. APON has adaptedand developed methods of treatment and rehabilitation thatwill have lasting effects on the recovering addicts. Thisincludes a halfway house for aftercare, and a programmefor youngsters in the locality who are addicted to tobaccoand other drugs.

The process is based on the Twelve Step RecoveryProgramme in conjunction with group activities, individualcounselling and daily classes. The aim is to treat the wholeperson — spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.Activities at the centre begin early in the morning andcontinue till late at night. APON’s facilities are open toany addict or alcoholic who desires to live free of drugs.Addicts’ families are also involved in the recovery processof the addicts. At the weekly Families Anonymous Meeting,about 30 family members attend. Women tend to be themost regular. APON cooperates with others on issues ofawareness, treatment, and training of staff in programmesrelated to drug addiction.

People of all classes of society and religious beliefs willfind the staff at APON ready to listen, provide informationor counselling and assistance when possible. Those seekingadmission for residential treatment pay according to theirmeans, so some pay little or nothing. At present there are36 residents from all over Bangladesh. After primarytreatment, aftercare continues.

A number of high risk youngsters in the area often drop-into play football or spend some time in a healthyatmosphere. Literacy training is provided to them and skilltraining has been started recently. Drug awareness and


This project, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre,supported by UNDCP is being carried out in sixcommunities in Sri Lanka (two schools, two villages, twoslums). These communities are situated in Colombo andGalle — two districts with relatively high prevalence ofillicit drug use. The main objective of this project is todemystify the use of drugs, on an experimental basis, inthe selected communities in order to change the socialperception of drug use to a dull, unexciting, and unpleasantactivity. Before carrying out any interventions, baselinesurveys are carried out. After the survey, various drugprevention activities are implemented in these communitiesbased on four broad themes :

1. Change of social image and value by reversing positiveperceptions of alcohol and other drug use.

2. Demystification of alleged alcohol and other drugeffects and devaluing socially unacceptable behaviour,including drunken behaviour, especially againstwomen.

3. Drug prevention as an essential component of healthand development.

4. Drug prevention as an aspect of general education,enrichment of people’s lives and empowerment.

Among the activities carried out are home visits in villages/slum areas, screening of videos, distribution of leaflets,displays of posters and training programmes. Students,youth, children, women and users have been targeted andmobilized into action. An evaluation survey will beconducted after 10 months of intervention.


outreach programmes in the community are also part ofAPON’s work. The staff comprises the Director and fourex-addicts.

Addicts, often distrusted and disowned by society and eventheir families, are also rehabilitated back into society asuseful citizens through the skill training and workprogrammes within APON. Besides their therapeutic value,these work programmes provide some income for APONto help pay for some of the expenses incurred.

The grant received from UNDCP has enabled APON toconcentrate more on its objectives, knowing that there arefunds for at least some basic needs. APON has been ableto admit 50 per cent more addicts than planned. It hasbecome easier to implement the objectives and developthe children’s programme, an offshoot of the regulartreatment and outreach programme.

The activities at APON overlap and support each other,using some of the same staff and facilities. The mainactivities are the following:l Public education and awarenessl Residential centre providing primary treatmentl Rehabilitation in all its aspectsl Aftercare facilities and assistancel Halfway housel Family programmes and counsellingl Community outreach to motivate high risk youngsters

and their familiesl General counselling services on drug abusel Drop-in centrel Training of staff involved in similar projects or activitiesl Collaboration with all agencies, national and

international, who are concerned with issues of healthin general, including HIV/AIDS, and drug abuse inparticular.

BOX ITEM - 30d

ALL INDIA STREET THEATREWORKSHOP AGAINST DRUG ABUSE,STEP

Rakesh Bhardwaj

STEP, established in May 1993 has been actively workingon creating awareness about various problems throughtheatre. Through this medium STEP has not only promotedcreativity but also awareness about present day socialissues.

The objectives of the Society for Theatre Education forPeople are:

l to develop, refine and promote the concept of theatreeducation in India

l to integrate with other networks and institutions forattaining the objectives

l to provide informative and healthy entertainment tothe masses

l to organize seminars, workshops, conferences,exchange visits, symposiums on meaningful theatre

l to promote the use of theatre for social awareness.

Some Steps for Promoting Drug AbuseAwarenessl A theatre workshop, “Theatre as a Medium for Raising

Awareness Against Drug Abuse”, in April 1995 inDakshin Puri (resettlement colony of New Delhi).

l A project, “Mukhota—Street Plays on Drug AbuseAwareness and Community Support”, conducted fromMay to September 1996, with assistance from UNDCP.

l Two exhibitions of posters against drug abuse madeby children.

l “All India Street Theatre Workshop against DrugAbuse”, from 18 to 24 September 1997.

RELEVANCE OF STREET THEATRE IN CREATINGAWARENESS AGAINST DRUG ABUSESince its inception in the 19th century street theatre hasbeen a suitable vehicle for educating and making themasses aware. The relevance of street theatre gainssignificance in light of the fact that communicationbecomes interpersonal, wherein the onlookers/audiencecan pose queries and clarify their doubts. Sometimes astreet play is followed by intervention services where



counsellors provide referral services to drug addicts or thosewho want further information.

The main objective of the recent undertaking of STEP, “AllIndia Street Theatre Workshop Against Drug Abuse”, wasto use the medium of street theatre to build a nationalcampaign against drug abuse. Specific objectives of theworkshop were:l To inculcate the following skills in participants for

effective street theatre — body movements, puppetry,script writing, music appreciation, poster making, andother street theatre skills.

l To enable the participants to use these skills in creatingawareness against drug abuse.

l To network with other NGOs working against drugabuse in different States of India.

Twenty participants from NGOs from various parts of thecountry attended the workshop. Most of them were workingas counsellors in treatment centres. During the workshop,they shared their experiences and worked hard to acquireskills on street theatre.

The participants, with the help of their resource personsand their own experience from other sessions in theworkshop, developed four different plays. During thedevelopment of these plays the resource persons introducedvarious exercises to improve the performance of theparticipants. All the four plays were based on the conceptof creating awareness against drug abuse.

On 24 September, 1997, the last day of the workshop,the plays were performed in Jamuna Pushta slums atvarious spots. Each play was seen by almost 800-900people. This was very a exciting moment for theparticipants.

Feedback from participants was gained throughdiscussions. According to them the workshop was veryenjoyable and educative. All the participants wereenthusiastic to go back to their areas of work and use theexperience gained at the workshop. The workshopremained hectic throughout but nothing could deter theenthusiasm and hard work of the participants. Overall, theworkshop was indisputably a success.

BOX ITEM - 30e

DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION ANDREHABILITATION FOR STREETCHILDREN IN MADURAI, NANBAN

Br. S. James

Madurai, the temple city in the heartland of Tamil Nadu,in spite of its religious traditions, cultural background andliterary excellence, has now turned out to be a hotbed ofdrug abusers, especially street and working children. Arandom survey conducted by NANBAN, a centre for streetand working children, has revealed the shocking truththat 91 per cent of these children are victims of drugabuse.

The reason for their falling prey to this evil is not difficultto find and is not different from the ones that are foundelsewhere in the country, among their peers. But onestatement stood out and NANBAN investigators wonderedif there could be any parallel anywhere else in the countryto this phenomenon: the users claimed that they tookdrugs to increase their sexual prowess. What was morealarming was that they were in the age group of 12 to 16years.

Our survey also revealed that these addicts were usingintravenous injections of brown sugar, ganja (cannabis),pethedine, Dormain 10, chloroform as well as countryliquor. All these items are freely available and childrenhave unrestricted access, which they claim gives them afeeling of adulthood.

When the development workers of NANBAN approachedthem, there were not many takers for its de-addictionprogramme. But we were able to persuade a few to attendthe de-addiction camp organized by us. Unfortunately, halfof them dropped out as the camp progressed.

NANBAN, with support from UNDCP, adopts a three-pronged strategy to help these children:

Drug Abuse Awareness through Street Theatre



l We try to enlist the support of the community, especiallythe parents of the children and their neighbours in aneffort to develop resilience among all concerned, andsee reality in its proper perspective. For this purposewe have formed groups at the slum level, from wheremost of these drug abusers emerge, and this strategyhad been found to be very effective in the area ofprevention.

l Secondly, NANBAN provides information, counsellingand psycho-educational support for the children andtheir families.

l Rehabilitation and integrated programmes for depedentusers are carried out. Monitoring and evaluation areintegral parts of our programmes.

The task is hard and daunting with seemingly insurmount-able hurdles. We have not given up hope and continueour crusade to meet this challenge for both society andindividuals. We are optimistic.

BOX ITEM - 30f

NAVJYOTI REHABILITATION PROJECT

Suneel Vatsyayan

UNDCP, through a DAPC (Drug Abuse Prevention Centre)grant, is currently supporting a novel project in Navjyoti-Delhi Police Foundation, on training recovering addictsand co-dependents as peer support counsellors andcommunity workers. The one year project started on 15April, 1997 and has 25 trainees.

The project has now entered the second and more crucialphase. During the last five months, regular workshops havebeen held to equip trainees with counselling skills. Thetrainees come from different socio-economic andeducational backgrounds and have received skill trainingaccording to their individual needs. A number of traineeswho were interviewed were unanimous in their reactionthat the programme has been beneficial to them. Barring asolitary exception, all those interviewed mentioned thatthey had received ample information on different types ofdrugs and their ill effects that would enable them to answertheir prospective clients. Some trainees expressed greatsatisfaction, as these examples will show:

l Anuj, drug free for almost three years now, says thathe has picked up the necessary terminology andtechniques needed for effective counselling. He furthersays that there has been a change in his personality

because of this training. During a recent workshoporganized by UNDCP that he attended elsewhere, hiscontribution was noticed.

l Yameen supports Anuj’s views on the programme andopines that his participation in such a programmewould earn him recognition in wider society.

l For Sant Ram and his sister, this programme has beena unique learning experience. It took Sant Ram quitesome time to acquire any type of formal learning ortraining. His sister, Sunita, now attends classes in theNavjyoti School in Yamuna Pushta as a result of thistraining programme. Sant Ram, like other trainees, feelsthat he has picked up communication skills, can lookat work more systematically and manage his time moreproductively.

l Rishi Pal, another trainee, feels that the ‘role plays’ andother practical sessions during the training have helpedhim to improve his skills as a counsellor. He hopes tobecome a professional counsellor on completion ofthis training programme.

l For Hussain Yasdar, a recovering addict, referred bythe UNHCR, Delhi unit, despite limitations of language,the training programme has been very beneficial. Hedreams of starting a drug de-addiction centre in future,on the strength of this training experience.

All the trainees, except the co-dependents, are membersof the Navjyoti therapeutic community.

BOX ITEM - 30g

DRUG ABUSE AWARENESS ANDPREVENTIVE EDUCATION CENTRE FORCRIMINAL ADDICTS IN CENTRAL JAIL

Pramila Srivastava

The relationship between drug abuse and crime has beenwell established. The Indian Council of Education, an NGOwith UN consultative status with ECOSOC (Economic andSocial Council), has set up a de-addiction centre forincarcerated addicts in the New Delhi prison. The supplyof drugs in the prison is related to the consistent demandfrom criminal addicts, and could not be brought to a haltdespite the strict administration of the prison authorities. Ithas been felt by the Council that a specializedcomprehensive drug abuse preventive educationprogramme is needed for the whole prison community.



This centre functions from the premises of the prison. Itprovides information and knowledge to the inmates andthe staff of the prison through audio-visual campaigns aboutthe ill-effects of alcoholism and drug abuse on theindividual, the family and society at large. The centre alsohelps to identify and refer criminal addicts to the de-addiction centre, provides follow-up programmes, and

helps the prison authorities to finalize their rehabilitationprogramme with the active participation of the addicts andtheir families. The centre covers 5000 inmates and 350staff members of the prison. The overall objective of thisDAPC (Drug Abuse Prevention Centre) project is to makethe prison drug free in a year.



Bangladesh, located between the Golden Triangle and theGolden Crescent, the two major heroin producing areasof the world, is not a drug producing country. However, inrecent years, the incidence of drug trafficking has beenincreasing both in volume and frequency. Abuse of variousdrugs among its citizens has also been reported.

In an attempt to address the growing drug problem, anumber of NGOs throughout the country have commencedvarious drug demand reduction activities like prevention,treatment and rehabilitation programmes.

To augment these efforts, VHSS, the national apex body ofhealth NGOs, felt it necessary to coordinate various anti-drug activities initiated by the NGOs and the Governmentof Bangladesh (GOB). The initiative took shape on 1September 1996 with the formation of the NationalCoordination Council of Anti-Drug NGOs (NCCADN), withits secretariat at VHSS, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVESl To organize a national and regional forum that

specializes on issues of drug and substance abuse.

l To build up the capacities of NGOs in communityprevention of drug and substance abuse.

l To advocate with professional groups the need toestablish drug regulations and ensure that these areimplemented.

l To produce IEC (Information, Education and Commu-nication) materials to support ongoing activities of dif-ferent drug abuse themes.

STRATEGIES, METHOD AND ACTIVITIES1. Networking

l Linkage with other organizations working againstdrug and substance abuse.

l Facilitate organization of forum that specializes ondrug and substance abuse.

l Monitor effectiveness of forum.

2. Institution building

Capacity building of NGOs on the prevention of drug andsubstance abuse through:

l Training of trainers.

l Orientation of NGOs at district levels.

3. Advocacy

l Meetings with students, and journalists and otherprofessionals.

4. Support communications

Developing the following materials:

l Directory of NGOs working on the prevention ofdrug and substance abuse.

l Brochure on the forum against drug and substanceabuse.

l IEC materials.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Networking — Formation of Foruml The national forum of NGOs working against drug

abuse was formed in July 1996. VHSS organized thefirst Anti-Drug Coordination meeting. Held on 1September 1996 at VHSS, 70 participants from morethan 40 NGOs attended the meeting. A 15-memberConvening Committee was formed and VHSS wasselected as the secretariat. Since then, NCCADN hasbeen working as a leading national coordination bodyin the field of drug demand reduction. Currently,NCCADN has 175 NGOs as members.

l Four regional coordination committees of NCCADNin four divisions (Chittagong, Pabna of Rajshahidivision, Jessore of Khulna division, and Sylhet) wereformed. The regional committees compriserepresentatives from both government organizations

BOX ITEM - 31

NATIONAL COORDINATION COUNCIL OF ANTI-DRUG NGOS (NCCADN),BANGLADESH

Nasir Uddin



(DNC, DC, Police, Social Welfare, Customs etc.) andNGOs.

l VHSS, as the secretariat of the forum (NCCADN), hasarranged nine monthly meetings of the ConveningCommittee.

l In May, 1997, VHSS organized the first general meetingof the forum where 115 representatives from 100 anti-drug organizations took part. Subsequently, an ExecutiveCommittee consisting of 21 elected members wasformed. The Executive Director of VHSS was electedthe President of the Executive Committee of NCCADN.

Institution BuildingTraining of Trainers:

A six-day long Training of Trainers (TOT) programmeon drug demand reduction was organized byNCCADN/VHSS from 4 to 9 January 1997. Seventeenparticipants from different NGOs all over the countrysuccessfully completed the training.

Advocacyl VHSS and NCCADN jointly organized a meeting to

share experiences with recovered addicts. This meetingwas held on 25 June, 1997 at the National Press Club.About 20 journalists from different media, 60 otherparticipants from about 30 NGOs and representativesof UNDCP were present.

l An anti-drug rally, a national seminar against drugabuse and observance of International Day AgainstDrug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking have been organized.

l An advocacy meeting on drug abuse and itsprevention and control was held with the students ofSher-e Bangla Nagar Government High School inDhaka in June, 1997.

Support Communicationl Brochure: A brochure on the NCCADN forum has been

produced which contains the background, genesis,mission, strategies and activities of the forum on drugand substance abuse.

l Second edition of the directory on anti-drug NGOs inBangladesh has been published and distributed.

l An educative anti-drug poster has been produced anddistributed to all members of VHSS and NCCADN.

l As a part of its support services, VHSS has collectedthe format of project proposal for CAP from UNDCPand distributed it to all NGOs.

l NCCADN/VHSS publishes a quarterly newsletter titled‘Anti-Drug News’ highlighting GOB-NGO activities inBangladesh. It also includes activities in the region andthe rest of the world.



The Government of Bangladesh and those who areconscious of the problem of drug abuse see the eliminationof this problem in the country as a priority. Efforts by thegovernment alone are not sufficient to control the situationand the involvement of NGOs and the public is essential.Thus an initiative was taken to form a federation of NGOsand other organizations that would be involved in anti-drug activities.

Formation of FederationThe first meeting was convened by Advocate RezaurRahman on 25 October, 1990 at the Dhaka club.Representatives from 40 organizations came to the meetingand suggested that an apex body or forum should be setup to coordinate the activities of all NGOs. The BangladeshAnti-Drug Federation of NGOs (BADF) was born, and itsoffice was established in Dhaka.

Legal and International StatusThe Federation is registered with the Department of SocialWelfare of the Ministry of Social Welfare, and is recognizedby the Department of Narcotics Control as the apex body.It is a regular member of the International Federation ofNon-Government Organizations for prevention of drug andsubstance abuse (IFNGO).

AIMS AND OBJECTIVESl To coordinate the activities of member organizations

and get the media to focus on them.

l To help member organizations prepare and implementanti-drug programmes.

l To liaise between the different national and internationalorganizations engaged in anti-drug activities.

l To create awareness among people about the evils ofdrug abuse through seminars, meetings, training

workshops, publication of magazines, stickers, posters,articles and other relevant materials.

l To involve people of all professions in the anti-drugmovement.

l To undertake all other activities which could helpcombat drug abuse both at home and abroad.

ACTIVITIESl BADF has carried out several national drug demand

reduction activities. These include discussion meetings,seminars, training sessions, production of printedmaterials and walks. These programmes have helpedto create an awareness about the negative effects ofdrug abuse.

l It observes the International Day Against Drug Abuseand Trafficking on 26 June every year.

l BADF organized an International Seminar on 6 June,1997 on the prevention of drug abuse that attractedabout 450 participants from different NGOs and otherorganizations.

l Representatives of BADF have participated in a numberof international seminars on drug abuse organized byDNC, UNDCP, Colombo Plan Bureau, SAARC andIFNGO.

l Though BADF does not have a treatment centre of itsown, some of its member organizations have treatmentcentres.

Award RecognitionBADF was awarded several times for its excellentperformance by the Department of Narcotics Control.

BOX ITEM - 32

BANGLADESH ANTI-DRUG FEDERATION OF NGOS, BADF

Salahuddin Ahmed



Federation of Indian NGOs for Drug Abuse Prevention(FINGODAP) is a conglomerate of over three hundredNGOs working in the field of drug abuse preventionthroughout the length and breadth of the country. FINGO-DAP was first mooted at the initiating of SPYM at a meetingof the Ministry of Welfare and NGOs at Shastri Bhawan,Delhi, on 11 August, 1991, and this concept was discussedat successive meetings in the following years, until it wasfinally launched on 12 April, 1995 at New Delhi.FINGODAP has held various meetings designed to developcollaborative efforts and interactions between NGOs andthe Ministry of Welfare to prevent and control alcohol anddrug abuse.

FINGODAP was formed with an aim to developcollaborative and fruitful interactions among non-governmental organizations regionally and internationally,to identify the need based services, and implementdiversified programmes to prevent and control drug abusewith the ultimate aim of achieving a drug free society. Itwas to aid the development of a shared monitoring andcommunication system for collection and collation of drugabuse information and research data for efficient analysisand dissemination among members and other concernedorganizations. It was also to attain concerted action amongmember organizations and other people in the fight againstdrug and substance abuse including the promotion ofcommunication and education for its prevention, reductionand rehabilitation. The organization was to attain its goalsthrough regional and international conferences, seminars,

training workshops, etc. to further the understanding ofand to resolve the problem of drug and substance abuse.

FINGODAP has come a long way since its inception andquite a large number of non-governmental organizationshave joined hands to strengthen the federation to overseetheir development through sharing of experiences. This hashelped in fostering the requisite networking of the voluntaryorganizations in various States and regions, and they havetaken effective steps towards building up capacity andresource mobilization.

FINGODAP in association with other NGOs workscatalytically to eradicate the drug abuse menace in thecountry and looks forward to continued growth inmembership and to project activities which are of mutualbenefit to member NGOs. The secretariat of FINGODAPfacilitates exchange and interaction, including preparedand coordinated projects in close liaison with the Ministryof Welfare, Government of India. The secretariat also actsas a conduit through which project programmes and ad-hoc committees are managed. FINGODAP is self-fundedfor its day-to-day activities through membership fees. Itsregistered office is located in the SPYM complex, New Delhi.

FINGODAP held its first national conference (15 to 17November, 1996) at the University of Pune, Pune. Thisconference served as a platform for nation-wide NGOs tocome together and chalk out a concrete programme ofaction to work towards achieving a drug free society.

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FINGODAP, INDIA

Rajesh Kumar



The philosophy of most non-governmental organizations(NGOs) is that “service is the rent one pays for the fewinches of space one occupies on planet Earth”. Many NGOshave realized that overcoming the problems related to drugand substance abuse in the SAARC region needs to be giventhe highest priority. It is also well known that the drugabuse problem in the SAARC region is more acute due togeneral poverty and the consequent lack of both financialand technical resources.

NGOs of the SAARC region have been very activelyinvolved in all aspects of drug demand reduction includingactivities related to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation,research and counselling. NGOs also realize that truesuccess depends on networking between themselves, aswell as working closely with the government, and otherorganizations at national, regional and international levels.

FORMATION OF SAFNGONGOs in countries of the South Asian region — India,Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan andMaldives — have made a tremendous effort over the yearstowards the prevention and control of drug and substanceabuse. Recognizing that drug and substance abusetranscend not just age, religion and background, butnational boundaries as well, a decision to inaugurate theSouth Asian Federation of NGOs (SAFNGO) was taken atthe meeting of NGOs of SAARC Countries held in April,1995 at Dhaka, Bangladesh. This meeting, organized byMs. Chung Tsu Tuan, Drug Advisor of the Colombo PlanBureau, was attended by representatives of NGOsnominated by the national focal points of SAARC membercountries.

ACTIVITIES OF SAFNGOAmong the activities identified were the development ofcollaborative interaction among NGOs regionally andinternationally, the establishment of a data base ofinformation and resources available in the SAARC regionso that these resources and information could be sharedamong all NGOs in the region, the organizing of regionaland international conferences, seminars and workshopsto further understand and resolve problems. We also agreedto work towards solving other related problems — AIDS,poverty and community development, which are

considered contributory factors to the problems of drugdependency.

The members of the newly formed SAFNGO agreed thatthe formation of national level federations or consortiumsof NGOs was necessary. It would facilitate the sharing ofinformation and resources at the national level, allowsmaller NGOs to have a say, and would help in theselection of representatives to serve at the regional level.Since only Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had set up federationsat the national level, it was decided that the first priority ofSAFNGO members was to take steps to set up nationallevel federations of NGOs. In India’s case, it was suggestedthat federations be at the State level and representativesbe drawn from these State federations to serve on thenational federation. This suggestion was accepted by theNGOs concerned.

It was also agreed to publish a SAFNGO newsletter thatwould include information from the national apex bodies,and compile a directory of NGOs involved in drug demandreduction that would include a list of experts andconsultants in the SAARC region. It was felt that trainingwas very essential since there were many untrained staffin the NGOs who provide service. Thus, it was suggestedthat a core group of trainers be developed to impartskills on sustaining community involvement and oncommunication skills.

SAFNGO’S ACTION PLANIt was decided that for the first two years, SAFNGO wouldorganize workshops on a biannual or annual basis to discussimportant and current topics. The next workshop was dulyheld in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1996 and other memberswere to take turns in organizing similar regional levelworkshops in their respective countries. It was felt that moreNGOs from the host country could participate and that thiswould enable visiting NGOs to make field visits and learnfrom others’ experience. Another important decision was tolocate the SAFNGO secretariat initially in Colombo and toestablish the resource centre / data base in Colombo.

THE SAFNGO SECRETARIATPresently the SAFNGO secretariat is located in Colombo,Sri Lanka. The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board

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NGO INVOLVEMENT IN DRUG DEMAND REDUCTION: SAARC NGO FORUM,SAFNGO

Shirley Tissera



and the Federation of NGOs Against Drug Abuse(FONGOADA) in Sri Lanka have very graciously agreedto house this secretariat. SAFNGO has also been allowedthe use of FONGOADA staff to carry out some of its tasks.On the negative side, the planned establishment of theSAFNGO secretariat has had a setback due to unavailabilityof funds.

WORKSHOPS / MEETINGSSAFNGO has completed two workshops, the first of whichwas very successfully concluded in Dhaka, Bangladesh,from 10 to 13 April, 1995, titled “The Role of NGOs inDrug Demand Reduction”. A total of 33 participants fromSAARC countries attended this workshop. This four-dayforum was conducted with plenary and workshop sessions,and the programme also included a field visit to theGovernment of Bangladesh Treatment and RehabilitationCentre in Dhaka.

The second workshop titled “Training in DevelopingSustainable Demand Reduction Strategies Focussing onStudent Community”, organized by SAFNGO together withthe Drug Advisory Programme of the Colombo Plan Bureau,was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 20 to 24 May, 1996.Participants for this programme came from all SAARCmember countries and resource persons were drawn fromMalaysia, India and Sri Lanka. Here again there wereplenary and workshop sessions with special emphasis onschools and university programmes, and alternate lifestyles.

RECOMMENDATIONSAt the inaugural meeting of SAFNGO on 12 April, 1995the following declaration was unanimously adopted:

“We, the Representatives of Non-GovernmentOrganizations from the seven SAARC Countriesnamely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal,Pakistan and Sri Lanka, attending the SAARC forumon the role of Non-Government Organizations inDemand Reduction held in Dhaka, Peoples Republicof Bangladesh, from 10th to 13th April 1995, sponsoredby the Colombo Plan Bureau, in cooperation with theDepartment of Narcotics Control, Ministry of HomeAffairs, Government of Bangladesh,

l Alarmed at the continued and unabated increase inthe number of persons indulging in Drug and SubstanceAbuse,

l Aware of the need for comprehensive multi-disciplinaryapproaches that are culturally acceptable for theSAARC region,

l Endorse and support the recommendations of thisSAARC NGO forum and we dedicate our effortstowards the implementation of these recommendations,

l Emphasize the importance to form Apex bodies atProvincial/State and National levels in our respectivecountries as soon as possible and to review the variousfollow-up mechanisms in order to establish effectivelinkages at all levels,

l Herald the establishment of the SAARC NGOFederation and further pledge to collaborate withInternational Federation of NGOs (IFNGO) for thePrevention of Drug and Substance Abuse, ASEAN, andother Regional and Inter-Regional Organizations,

l Encourage regional and inter-regional organizations aswell as governments to combine forces to address theDrug and Substance Abuse problem in the region.

l The first objective of the SAARC NGO federation isthe attainment of a concerted, harmonious and fruitfulrelationship among all Non-GovernmentOrganizations, Regional and International, pursuingactivities needed to prevent and control Drug andSubstance Abuse, and thus consolidate even moreefforts to achieve a Drug free society.”

FUTURE ACTIVITIESSAFNGO, together with the Colombo Plan Bureau, plannedto conduct its third workshop/meeting in Kathmandu,Nepal, from 6 to 10 October 1997, but was compelled topostpone this programme to 1998. The workshop is titled“Developing Sustainable Demand Reduction Strategies byUtilizing Existing Community Resources throughGovernmental and Non-Governmental efforts”.

A very important matter that needs to be looked into is theestablishment of national apex bodies for NGOs. Till dateSri Lanka and Bangladesh have been successful in doingso; India and Pakistan are in the process of establishingapex bodies and it is hoped that the other member countriestoo would follow suit.

One of the greatest drawbacks that a regional body suchas SAFNGO has is that of obtaining financial support forits activities on a regular basis. This is mainly because mostfunding agencies do not have a mandate to fund regionalprogrammes. If we can get over this problem then SAFNGOcan truly contribute towards the global fight againstsubstance abuse.



At the Asia satellite workshop following the 7thInternational Conference on the Reduction of DrugRelated Harm, Tasmania, in March, 1996, the need fora network crystallized in the formation of AHRN. TheAsian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN) is the firstprogramme of its kind, an information and supportnetwork created to link, support and promote thehundreds of people and programmes working in Asia toprevent the spread of HIV among drug injectors. Withover 700 members from 48 counties, AHRN has grownto be the voice for HIV issues affecting drug injectors inAsia. AHRN works closely with UNAIDS, WHO andother multilateral agencies targeting HIV and IDU inAsia. AHRN’s efforts to support and promote in-countryprogrammes and to identify the areas of enormous needare where the network has its greatest impact.

AHRN’s relevance can be measured by the thousandsof requests for information and support that the networksecretariat has received and responded to in 1996-97.AHRN’s value is also evident through the resourcesand linkages the network provides to programmesthroughout Asia. The demand for resources on HIV andIDU in many Asian countries is immense; creating anddisseminating printed and electronic informationcontinues to be a high priority for AHRN. This has beenpossible through the publication and circulation of theAHRN newsletter.

As a network of like-minded people and programmes,AHRN believes that countries can benefit greatly by linkingtogether to share information, experience and support.These are its objectives:

OBJECTIVES OF AHRNTo establish a sustainable harm reduction network, basedin Asia.

To develop a more comprehensive understanding ofpatterns of injecting drug use and associated harms(especially HIV infection) in Asian countries.

To provide a forum that will encourage communicationand information exchange between individuals,organizations and countries participating in the network.

To provide training and support for individuals andorganizations in Asia, sharing core skills and a coherentphilosophy which can underpin their work.

To facilitate policy and programme development at NGO,government, regional and international levels.

To promote national harm reduction networks.

AHRN Mission StatementTo reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use inAsia, especially HIV infection, through a process ofnetworking, information sharing, advocacy and programmeand policy development.

FUNCTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

l AHRN Secretariat and Executive

l Network data base and mailing list

l AHRN newsletter

l Regular correspondence with network participants

l A survey of AHRN participants

l Responding to requests for information and referral

l Workshops, conferences and meetings

l Dissemination of articles, information and resourcematerials

l Development of a resource manual on HIV and IDUin Asia

l Clearing house and referral service

l Internet service

l Liaison support for Asian delegates visiting otherprogrammes and countries

l Coordination of projects and communications

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THE ASIAN HARM REDUCTION NETWORK (AHRN)

Jimmy Dorabjee



l Development of specific projects and fundingopportunities

l Situation assessment of 17 South East Asian countriesfor UNAIDS-APICT

l Liaison with UNAIDS, WHO and other global agencies


role of ngos in drug demand reduction - unodc.org · saarc secretariat have both been very active...

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