District youths turn away from drugs

**Members of the St Christopher Alive Association with support from the community launching their association in Chimbu. – Picture supplied**

CLOSE to a thousand youths from three districts in Chimbu have turned away from drugs after two years of rehabilitation in pastoral programmes run by a Catholic priest.
Youths from Kerowagi, Kundiawa-Gembogl and Sinasina-Yongomugl made the turn-around over two years through the pastoral programmes of Fr Christopher Onguglo first at Mai parish, Sinasina-Yongomugl and then followed later in the Three Kings parish of Kerowagi.
The youths also formed an organisation St Christopher Alive Association (SCAA) which was launched last week by the acting provincial administrator Sebastian Kee.
Kee said this was a pathway for Government and church to forge effective partnership with reformed drug addicts.
He said the church and the Government could sign a memorandum of agreement to pool resources to support the association.
“The SCAA needs resources such as money to run its operations and programmes,” he said.
“That is why the provincial administration wants to work with you.
“But prior to that, we have to get our partnership right and coordinated through workable approaches like resource sharing.”
Kundiawa bishop Paul Sundu said the decision of the youths to change their attitudes had created the impetus for gradual progress in communities which the church and Government could support.