Government’s commitment to invest in young people with a view to enabling them to unlock their potential and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country was highlighted by the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, Monday evening, at L’Escalier Social Welfare Centre.
The Minister was speaking at the launching ceremony of the Youth Empowerment Programme Against Drugs (YEPAD) in the presence of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, and other personalities.
According to Dr Padayachy, Government is creating the necessary conditions for the youth to succeed by investing in their knowledge and skills. He also underlined the importance of protecting them from potential harm such as drugs abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
For his part, the Minister of Health and Wellness stressed the consequences of drug abuse on the individual, the family and the society at large, thus the imperative for a collective, regional and local response for the prevention of drug abuse. He affirmed that people should be educated about the ill-effects of substance abuse so as to reduce stigmatisation of, and discrimination against, those dependent on drugs as well as work towards integrating them back into society.
While Government is focusing on the treatment of drug dependent persons and the control of drug trafficking, said Dr Jagutpal, head of families and young people have to play a more active role in drug prevention programme. He added that knowledge and skills are required to identify those who are most at risk to the problem of substance abuse and intervene at an early stage.
The YEPAD emphasises a community-based prevention approach through empowering young people in various localities across the country in the efforts to combat the problem of drug abuse and illicit trafficking of drugs. This one-week drug prevention education and leadership building programme is designed to train young people and build their capacity in actively participating in awareness against drug abuse.
Launched for the first time in Roche Bois in March 2021, the YEPAD has trained, so far, 276 young people from 12 regions in Mauritius in communicating on, and acting in, drug prevention. The target is to provide expertise and information to youth in 24 regions in the country to enable the community as a whole to benefit from this initiative.
