---

From September 28th to October 4th 2022, the WFAD team from the Offices in Sweden and DRC visited Kenya and had several bench-marking visits, partner-interaction, and community outreach events. The team comprising of the WFAD Secretary general, Regina Mattsson, the Programme Manager, Aivaras Zukausas, the WFAD DRC Country Representative, Dandy Yela and his pro-grammes counterpart Josue, and the Government Director of Health, Mr Patrice, arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 28th. They were received by Paul Mburu, the WFAD Liaison Representative. On the 29th, the team visited the National Authority for the Campaign against Drugs (NACADA), the Government agency coordinating and managing National interventions regarding drugs. They were received by the Chairperson of the Board, Md Mabel Imbuga and CEO Mr Victor Okioma among other staff. This was a bench-marking visit aimed at learning and sharing experiences on addressing the drug issues and the support in which Kenya can accord DRC. The meeting included a visit to a private rehabilitation centre.

On Friday, Sept 30th, there was an International Partner’s Forum for WFAD members in the region. The Forum was held at the Move’n’Pick Hotel and was attended by 25 participants from Kenya, Uganda, DRC, and Ethiopia. Other participants from Burundi and Tanzania participated virtually. The Forum focused on the challenges faced in each country as well as generally in the region. There was a common consensus that to combat the drug problem, there is a need for more collaboration and capacity building among the member states rather than individual efforts. Mr Rogers Kasirye of Uganda highlighted the importance of networking, with input from the WFAD President Amy on complacency on drug interventions by partners which leaves critical work undone.

On Saturday 1st, there was a community event organised by George of Slum Child Foundation, who is also the East African Network Chair. The team spent the day hearing presentations from children on how to mentor them against drug use and promote mental wellness.
On Sunday and Monday (2nd-3rd Oct), the team rejoined NACADA on a field visit to Mombasa, the Kenyan Coastal City and a hub for drug use and transit. Here, they came face to face with reality and listened to the experiences in the habit. They also visited a partner working with the IDUs, the local police station, and a Rehabilitation centre established by the Government. This all showcased the value of governments, civil societies, and the local community in addressing and combating the drug problem using a collaborative approach.

Observation from the visit (s)
The East African region is faced with many drug issues. Most of the countries in the region are either drug destinations or drug transit points. Many young people have been influenced by the habit due to many underlying social and economic factors. There exists a major gap in the awareness of the drug problems between different countries, and also communities at local levels. There is a need for more efforts to be aimed at strengthening the capacities of institutions and civil society actors if any meaningful impacts are to be realised. Civil Societies need to work closely with government institutions for better results This needs to go beyond the National territories since drugs and crime have been identified as cross-boundary issues. There was a call for more such forums in order to strengthen the Network and achieve the vision of a drug-free East Africa