Winnie Ngwekazi Primary School learners armed against substance abuse
The session featured tips on how to avoid substances like drugs, the importance of good friends and what to do in case one has started using drugs.
Winnie Ngwekwazi Primary School welcomed a team from the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA) Soweto for a drugs and substance abuse education talk on Monday. The event was held at the school in Pimville and was organised by the FXB South Africa team that works with the school.
SANCA’s Community Development Manager, Mapula Nkomo said it was important to start teaching kids about the dangers of drug abuse at a young age.
“It’s no longer just teenagers that are at risk now – even the young ones. They might not be using the drugs themselves but in townships like Soweto, they are exposed every day. So it’s also important for us to honour such invitations when we get a chance to educate kids,” she said.
The session featured tips on how to avoid substances like drugs, the importance of good friends, and what to do in case one has started using drugs. FXB South Africa runs several after-school support and life and interpersonal skills development programmes in townships around Gauteng. Mduduzi Khumalo from FXB said it was important to remind people of the dangers of substance abuse.
“We wanted to remind people. with the risk of covid, people have forgotten that we still have many issues affecting society and kids – one being substance abuse. We invited SANCA Soweto because it’s something they specialize in and have a lot more knowledge more it than us and we are grateful that they were able to come,” said Khumalo.
The event was also supported by the school’s governing body (SGB). Thamsanqa Nkula, a member of the SGB praised the work done by the FXB team.
“FXB has been very helpful to the school. You can see the difference with the learners in terms of their confidence and their maturity. On top of that, learners get food parcels. So it’s been very good work that has been done by the team (FXB),” said Nkula
In closing, Nkomo urged parents to also play an active role in educating kids about the dangers of substance abuse.
“The best thing parents can do is get the education drug abuse and then they impart that knowledge on to the kids. Parents can also leaner the signs to look out for, too many parents are not even aware that something is going on with their child until it’s too late. So we are urging parents to work with us and get the education,” concluded Nkomo.
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