Ke Moja seeks to rid East Bank High of social ills
The Gauteng Department of Social Development takes ‘Ke Moja Fridays’ to East Bank High School, a high-risk school ravaged by many social ills.
The learners at East Bank High School in Alexandra, which is considered a high-risk school ravaged by rampant substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, gambling, bullying, and gangsterism, recently embraced the arrival of the Ke Moja, an anti-social ills programme at their school.
In an effort to intervene in these social ills, with drugs and substance abuse deemed a route cause, the Gauteng Department of Social Development in partnership with its sister Department of Education, the African Youth Development Fund (AYDF) and non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the area embarked on ‘Ke Moja Fridays’ – a preventative educational programme that seeks to address the scourge of substance abuse in schools and targets communities such as LGBTQIA+, artists and musicians, and tavern owners.
Ke Moja, which means ‘I am fine without drugs’ is a brand name for the government of South Africa geared towards drug and substance abuse prevention. The programme is implemented in the nine provinces in partnership with the NPOs, which are contracted to appoint coaches that implement the programme at identified high-risk schools.
Addressing learners and parents on October 27, Gauteng Department of Social Development’s chief director for Social Welfare and Specialist Services, Tebello Mkhonto, said the objective of the campaign was to sustain a drug-free environment in which learners and the youth would enjoy their freedom, develop intellectually, socially, economically, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
“We want to help children and the youth to avoid initiation into the use of drugs, or if they have started already, to avoid developing disorders such as dependence,” Mkhonto explained.
“Ke Moja Fridays focuses on using a variety of activities as tools to educate, empower and develop awareness of the harmful effects of substance abuse in an integrated approach, to different populations, among others – the learners, university students, and the youth.”
Social worker in Joburg Metro Region Shireen Hassan added that the department will continue with such efforts to ensure that children do not experiment with drugs and substances. “The team has been working hard to ensure that we have such outreach programmes. The school is at risk and situated in a community that is rife with substance abuse, poverty, and unemployment.
“We want our learners to benefit from this and take the messages home regarding the dangers of substance abuse. We also want to create an environment where children feel free to speak to us and our stakeholders such as Sanca Alex.”
A highlight for many of the learners on the day was seeing their hero, Xolani Khumalo, from a popular television show called Sizokuthola on Moja Love Channel 157.
Like many of the speakers, Khumalo wished the learners well as they start final year school examinations and echoed that the fight against drugs and substance abuse is aimed at benefitting the learners in the future.
The Ke Moja programme has reached 142 256 beneficiaries between April 2023 and September 2023 through this substance abuse prevention and awareness programme.
Related Article:
