Substance Abuse Awareness & Prevention Program
Partnering with NACADA and local institutions to protect young people from drug and alcohol abuse through community outreach, education, and advocacy.
Substance abuse poses a real and growing threat to young people in our community, often unraveling years of progress made through education and family support. A child who has overcome hardship to stay in school, or a family that has finally found stability, can see that progress undone when drugs or alcohol take hold, whether in their own life or in the life of someone close to them. This program exists because prevention has to happen before that damage occurs, not after.
Through this program, Heaven's Home partners with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) and fellow community organizations to raise awareness, reach young people directly, and advocate for a community free from the grip of drug and alcohol abuse. We believe this work can't be done by any single organization alone, it requires coordinated effort across health institutions, learning institutions, security agencies, and local administration, each playing a role in both prevention and response.
In June 2026, our team joined the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (#IDADA2026) procession, marching from Rwika Market to Jeremiah Nyagah National Polytechnic alongside NACADA officials, county administration, law enforcement, and partner health institutions, under the theme "World Drug Problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses." The procession brought together students, staff, and community members in a visible, public stand against substance abuse and trafficking, closing with sessions at the polytechnic reaching students directly with information on prevention and support.
This kind of visibility matters. Many young people who are struggling with substance abuse, or who are at risk of starting, don't know where to turn or fear judgment if they ask for help. By showing up publicly, alongside credible institutional partners, we aim to make it clear that support exists, that recovery is possible, and that our community takes this seriously. Beyond the annual procession, this program informs how we approach substance-abuse risk across all our other work, our case workers are trained to recognize warning signs in the children and families we already serve, and to connect them with appropriate support rather than treating substance abuse as a separate, disconnected issue.
We see this as long-term work. A single march doesn't solve a community's relationship with drugs and alcohol, but consistent presence, credible partnerships, and sustained awareness efforts, year after year, build the kind of trust and visibility that actually changes outcomes over time.
