NGO director aspires to break the stigma of drug abuse

SEEKING to break the stigma of drug abuse while saving lives is Renette Roskruge, director of Thabitha Community Care Services.

The organisation has been running from July 2014 and is a primary healthcare NGO with a particular focus on substance abuse. “Our strategy is preventative, promotive and rehabilitative which forms our three in one healthcare approach. Initially we wanted to provide services in relation to HIV/Aids and home-based care. But we soon realised that there was a bigger shortfall in the Wentworth community, in that it was riddled with drugs. There is nothing being offered for the community in terms of substance abuse and how to manage and prevent the problem. Hence, we shifted our focus and mindset as an organisation to tackle this social evil hands on,” said Renette.

“Everything we do is central to the issues experienced by the people in our community. We focus on the six main substances prevalent in our youth, the patterns of their usage as well as trying to find out the cause and influence behind this substance abuse.”

Thabitha Community Care Services operates as an outpatient facility that rehabilitates the patient through an integrative approach that seeks to target and deal with the root cause of an individual’s addiction. This is done by tackling drug addictions by using the preventative, promotive and rehabilitative approach. The preventative strategy involves drug awareness outreach programs, drug education workshops for youth and parents as well as reaching out to the most vulnerable groups, which are adolescents and young. The promotive strategy involves health promotion programmes, random drug screening etc. The rehabilitative strategy involves a walk-in outpatient rehab programme, spiritual intervention, support groups, one on one sessions, the journey to recovery programme as well as aftercare. This also involves skills development, family and societal reintegration.

Renette and her team also counsel and feed the recovering addicts every Monday evening. The team also makes it their mission to go out into the community to reach out to addicts to feed, pray and encourage them to come to terms with their addiction and work towards overcoming it. “Many of these addicts have never been beyond the confinements of Wentworth or experienced life outside of their everyday social ills. Crime, gangsterism, poverty, violence, abuse and problems in the home is all that many of them know. So we try and do things to uplift the addicts. Sometimes we take them out to other recovery centres so that they can see that they are not alone and that they deserve a second chance at life. We were also blessed in December by Zion Christian Ministries who assisted us in hosting an awards evening and dinner for all the addicts who are on their journey of sobriety,” she said.

Renette has hopes for the centre to continue to grow in its vision to break away the chains of drug abuse in Wentworth  and one day have a daycare facility for addicts, where they will have access to a prayer room, ablution facilities, computer skills, counselling and a meal daily.

“I live, breathe and love what I do. Many of these people are marginalised in the community and have nowhere to go. I have been called to fight this battle and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Renette.

Running costs at Thabitha Community Care Services remain a challenge as they are not funded by any organisation and rely on donations and Renette’s own pocket. The centre is situated at 4 Tifflin Road, Wentworth. For more information or to support this worthy organisation call Renette Roskruge on 067-075-4163.

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