NPO takes a stand against drug abuse in Katlehong
Chabalala's oldest son was arrested for dealing in drugs.
Founder of Naliya Perishing Mission 2 Vision (NPM2V) Buyisiwe Chabalala went from enduring abuse from her two addicted children to fighting against drugs that have torn her family apart.
After months of trying to help her children fight drug addiction, she established NPM2V in March 2021 to offer help and support to people who are battling drug addiction.
She said the challenge with rehabilitation centres is that they do not provide enough rehab time and keep the children at the centre for four weeks.
She said in the beginning, it was her oldest son who was into drugs, as he started coming back home late and high.
He then started stealing household appliances before running away to live in the streets.
“It was only a matter of time for the community to start complaining because once he realised that I locked my valuable items away when I left the house, he started stealing outside,” she explained.
According to Chabalala, her oldest son was arrested for dealing in drugs and refused to expose the man he was working for.
She expressed disappointment when she added that her 14-year-old son followed in his brother’s footsteps.
Chabalala decided to help save children, families and communities through her organisation.
She expressed that she could not watch from the sideline while families and communities suffer because of drugs.
After they were touched by Chabalala’s story, Tholekelo Nkosi and Lizi Khumalo joined NPM2V as committee members.
The organisation offers door-to-door campaigns to engage with the affected families. It also currently has over 1 000 children who have signed up for vaccines.
Vision
The organisation has hit the ground running, but according to Chabalala, the real work will begin when they get a facility with enough space to cater to many children who left home to feed their addiction in the streets.
She said they want a facility big enough to enable them to keep the recovering individuals longer to acquire skills that can place them in a better position to find employment when they finish their treatment.
Chabalala said their vision is to have a drug-free society.
Challenges
Khumalo raised some safety concerns. She said what they are doing for the community is great, but the challenges they encounter pose risks to them.
“Sometimes, we have to go into a house full of boys who use drugs and because we are still starting out, we do not have the resources and human capacity. We usually conduct door-to-door campaigns alone,” she said.
“We try to offer help but at the same time, we are afraid because some of these drugs make them aggressive,” said Khumalo.
The team often has to use money from its own pockets to move around different sections of the township.
How can the community help?
Chabalala said the community can help the NPO by volunteering to report on households that have children who are affected or surviving drug addiction.
This will help the organisation reach out to families who need support. NPM2V pleads with community members to avoid assaulting children who are affected by drugs.
“The fight against drugs is not just for affected families. This a collective problem, we need the community to support affected families.”
She added that families that are going through this challenge are stigmatised and are often referred to as nyaope’s home.
“Even we as mothers of these children are called names like mama Nyaope. There are people with who I had good relations, but today, we do not talk to each other because of the stigmatisation.”
She pleaded with the community to stop abusing families who are supporting recovering addicts.
“There is no parent who would choose the life of drugs for their children. These parents have to endure abuse from their children and sometimes, the community,” she concluded.
Donations
Community members who wish to help can donate sanitary towels, face cloths, soap, lotions, roll-on and clothes.
The organisation also needs help with transport for its clients and volunteers.
Contact Chabalala on 063 538 6791 or email Buyisiwe415@gmail.com
