Fighting the good fight

Sometimes having a relationship with God can be tricky.

I mean talking to a man in the sky is a bit odd - well at least according to Ricky Gervais.

Never the less, I try to listen when He does holler down at me - because it's usually for important matters. On 6 Dec I felt an urgent need to contact some drug treatment facilities in Durban to see if any of them would sponsor 5 - 10 teens and young adults in the drug awareness and outreach work done by The Youth Care Centre.

I was worried about one particular girl who was in a pretty bad way when I moved away from Durban in 2007 and I have not had any update about her since then. Of course I do not subscribe to coincidence and two weeks later a concerned family member of the 21 year old girl contacted me saying they had no where to turn to with her 6 year drug addiction, she had landed up in hospital after an assault and could I help.

We arranged for her to be admitted for heroin detox and to start a 12 month outpatient program at the ARCA recovery centre in Durban. Dr Prakash Naidoo, the owner, was incredibly helpful and has offered a massively reduced price on his treatment program for any of the youth in the community that need education or counseling. He helped me co-ordinate all of this while on holiday without a moment's hesitation. I can't express the gratitude I have towards those who genuinely want to help because we are all fighting the same fight.

Some people tell me money spent on rehab is a waste and there are better causes, I beg to differ, I have seen a few individual cases of people who were trapped in a vicious circle of addiction and with proper treatment, support and a process of stumbling and getting up again, they live relatively normal lives now. There is hope - there is ALWAYS hope.

Addiction is a disease and those who suffer from it should have access to medical help if needed. Private treatment in South Africa can cost anywhere between R10 000 to R40 000 per month, which is way more what most families in Wentworth could ever afford.

Good luck to the family in Durban - you guys are in good hands and I'm glad you get to experience a little hope with your daughter. No one can foretell the future, but as Dr Naidoo said " at least I can show them there is a light at the end of the tunnel".

If you wish to help support our drug outreach program, which will allow us to sponsor drug treatment/rehab to a certain number of teens and young adults, please contact me (heather@alchemyfilms.net) or you can make a paypal donation online.