Education in prevention of substance abuse at schools

NEED

There has been a rapid increase in the levels of alcohol and drug abuse in South Africa over the past decade, with the age of first experimentation with drugs dropping to ten years and below. For this reason, resolving the substance abuse problems of South Africa has become both a national as well as a Western Cape provincial government priority. Such is the gravity of the situation that South Africa has developed and implemented a National Drug Master Plan in its quest to build a drug-free society and to fight the scourge of substance abuse.

Scientific reports confirm that substance abuse in the Western Cape over the past three years has skyrocketed, and that this province’s drug epidemic is now spiralling out of control. Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain are deeply impoverished areas, where many households rely on casual work, subsistence gardening or trading, old age pensions or mutual borrowing and assistance for survival. This precarious socio-economic context contributes to the loss of community and family structures, which often cannot provide the necessary support and opportunities for children and youth to grow in a healthy and nurturing environment away from alcohol and drugs.

OVERVIEW

The primary purpose of SANCA WC’s multi-faceted Youth Substance Abuse Prevention and Awareness Programme is to prevent substance abuse among youth and promote alternative, healthy lifestyles. Over 10, 000 learners from Grade 6 – 10 learners in 5 primary and secondary schools located in the high-risk communities of Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha will benefit directly from the programme. It comprises eight sessions, which, over two months, cover issues such as drug education, substance abuse, decision-making, peer pressure, self-image, conflict resolution, communication, relationships and leadership. Schools are able to select modules of their choice to create a tailor-made programme. Teaching methods incorporate diverse activities such as discussions, group feedback, and drama and role-play exercises and are also, age appropriate.

Children with specific substance abuse problems are identified through the programme and offered critical support services and treatment, which may include individual counselling sessions, support groups and participation in more in-depth treatment programmes.

Monitoring is undertaken at a range of technical and management levels throughout the organisation, and includes tools such as site visits, programme progress reports, monthly statistics, quarterly qualitative and quantitative reviews, year-end programme evaluation and assessments.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• SANCA WC offers a comprehensive range of services in the area of substance abuse, which goes from education on healthy living, life skills and prevention to counselling, training and referral for medical treatment.
• Each programme is carefully tailored to meet the specific needs of each particular group of children / youth, through extensive discussions with school management.
• This programme is already well established and is implemented in close partnership with the Department of Social Development.

IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

A budget of R 209, 500 is a portion of a larger intervention calculated at R 802, 932. The programme is on-going and most of the additional funding has already been secured. This investment will fund the education on life skills, healthy living and drug prevention of approximately 4, 650 Grade 6-10 learners in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain.

Children and youth will be effectively equipped with the necessary life skills to counteract negative peer pressure and the appeal of drugs and alcohol and thus, prevent serious physical and mental health illnesses as well as the risk of unemployment and social exclusion associated with drug abuse.

ORGANISATION ASSESSMENT

SANCA Western Cape is a well established organisation, at national and regional level, with a clear expression of its purpose and values, which come through strongly in its education, counselling and strong referral networks. The organisation is highly recognised by sector experts, and it plays a very active role in research and policy development in close cooperation with universities, other NPOs and government, which increases cooperation and consistency in policy implementation.

The organisation is run by a team of experienced professionals, which follow very clear governance and monitoring structures to ensure a high quality service. The structure of the organisation is excellent, producing transparent programme and financial management processes, with minimal project risks.

RISK PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: This project addresses an urgent need for drug abuse prevention, case identification and referral in high risk communities in the Western Cape.
• Design: SANCA WC has systems in place to monitor programme operations and impact such as numbers of children and youth requesting counselling after attending the school prevention programme.
• Capability: SANCA WC has over 50 years of organisational experience in working in the sector. All facilitators are qualified social workers with specific training in substance abuse.
• Control: SANCA WC is a transparent organisation in terms of its financial operations as well as governance. It has a very structured approach to monitoring performance at all programme levels: programme participants, facilitators as well as overall programme objectives.

Key Risks - Low

• Sustainability: A two-month-long intervention could potentially fall short in sustainably changing learners’ attitudes and life skills towards substance abuse. SANCA tries to reach as many schools as possible with a well structured intervention, which links up with a broader network of available service providers.