The Centre for Peace Advancement in Nigeria (CEPAN), a non-governmental organisation, has involved 200 vulnerable children and youths in its anti-drug campaign project in Jos North Local Government Area.
Mrs Jummai Fidelis, CEPAN’s Project Co-coordinator, made the revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Jos.
The children and youths were chosen from four communities in the council area, according to Fidelis.
The programme, according to her, aims to strengthen the culture of peace and resilience among young people aged 10 to 30.
Fidelis stated that the participants were chosen for constructive engagement in peace building from Naraguta, Bauchi Road, Angwan Rukuba, and Angwan Jarawa.
She said that the intervention was part of efforts to facilitate their transformation to societal change agents.
“The beneficiaries of our project are out-of-school children, school dropouts, drug addicts, pilfers and those engaged in other social vices.
“They are trained on peace building and de-radicalisation through counselling and drug therapy.
“A safe space was created in each community with two mentors in each, for them to interface and discuss challenges and seek enduring solutions, “ she said.
She said that the programme was implemented by a consortium led by CEPAN.
She listed the others as Centre for Community Action for Peace and Development, Community Aid Workers Initiative and Gangare Youth Forum, adding that the programme had support from the EU-ACT British Council.
Fidelis said that the project had yielded positive results of rehabilitating youths from drug addiction and other criminal activities within nine months of implementation.
She said that the establishment of interactive platforms and mentorship sessions was to support the youths during rehabilitation process.
Fidelis said that performance review showed that the project had helped in reducing crime rate in the selected communities.
She added that findings revealed lack of parental care, broken homes, bad peer influence and poverty as the factors leading to vices among children and the youth. (NAN)
