Sithembiso Maeko uses education to win the battle against drugs!
The abuse of substances by the youth which includes primary and secondary school pupils has been a prevalent cause for concern in South Africa.
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It affects learners from the age of 12 and cutting across geographic, socio-economic status, and racial lines.
Substance abuse is increasingly becoming the primary cause of school crime and violence, teenage pregnancy, risky behaviours, incidental injuries, and HIV/AIDS. It also threatens the freedom, security, and right to life of citizens.
The 19-year-old student, Maeko from Tembisa in Ekurhuleni was raised by a single mother after his father left when he was a kid.
He said growing up, he has always had a profound passion for reading business books, playing sport and has a talent for numbers and figures.
“As an over-achiever, academic underperformance was a huge source of my stress and anxiety, so I started seeking ways to escape the pressure and fixation. Together with four of my peers, we began using drugs as they were fairly affordable and easily accessible,” he said.
Shortly after, they were all addicted, and two dropped out of school and were ravaged by drugs and one lost his life to substance abuse.
“It was in the ninth grade that I was introduced to Ke Moja and found help. They came to our school and implemented a compulsory curriculum for all grade 9 learners with extra-classes after school, wherein, my own attendance was voluntary,” explains Maeko.
He said since the intervention from Ke Moja, he's been clean for four years and is in his second year of study at the University of Johannesburg, pursuing a degree in BCom Finance Management with a prospective career as a prominent Financial Advisor.
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“My words of encouragement to teenagers struggling with addiction are that every day is a struggle and stress is part of our everyday life, so it is important to find healthier ways of coping with stress, focus on self-development and actively participate in positive social activities like sport,” concluded.
According to the National Drug Master Plan, Substance Abuse is largely attributed to poverty, crime, unemployment, and dysfunctional family life.
The Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act (Act 70 of 2008) thus provides for the establishment of programs for the prevention and treatment of drug dependency.
Hence, the Department of Social Development as a conduit to fight drug addictions, launched the Ke Moja, I’m fine without drugs program in 2003 to counteract this topical scourge through preventative measures, largely targeting primary and secondary pupils nationwide.
