Throughout August, WFAD continued to highlight the work of our members through the Members Spotlight Campaign, sharing stories from across our global network. This month’s spotlights showcased cross-border youth engagement, collaborative school-based prevention, and efforts to strengthen substance use prevention among children and young people.

Our members continue to demonstrate the importance of locally driven approaches and the many ways organisations and individuals are working to strengthen prevention, engage young people, and support healthier communities.

In Singapore and Batam, Indonesia, Nur Azlinda Binte Zulkifli and Ultimate Friends SG highlighted their work bringing young people together across borders to strengthen substance use prevention and recovery awareness. Working with schools and youth centres, the initiative engages students, educators, and community leaders in conversations around prevention, resilience, recovery, stigma, and mental health. Young volunteers are also encouraged to take an active role by co-leading awareness activities and school initiatives.

In Nigeria, Kenneth Anetor and A New Thing International Foundation shared their work strengthening substance use prevention in schools and communities through collaboration. Through the School Outreach for Better Education (SOBE) Programme, the organisation brings together partners working across substance use prevention, mental health, child protection, bullying prevention, and gender-based violence. By combining expertise, resources, and networks, the programme has expanded its reach across several states and supports young people in developing life skills while contributing to safer school environments.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congolese Network of People Who Use Drugs (CNPWUD) highlighted its ongoing School-Based Drug Education Programme for children aged 6–15. Through school-based activities, the programme helps children build awareness of the risks associated with substance use and develop skills to navigate peer pressure. Between January and July 2026, the programme reached more than 10,000 children across 19 schools, with CNPWUD aiming to reach more than 20,000 children in 40 schools by the end of the year.

Also in Nigeria, Simon Gwary, Project Lead at Child Without Drug-Abuse Initiative, shared a community medical outreach in Kano State focused on children’s health and substance use prevention. The outreach provided free malaria diagnosis and treatment, deworming services, and other medical support for children in the Gadon Kaya area. Alongside medical care, children took part in substance use prevention sessions, while parents discussed how supportive family environments can help strengthen prevention. The outreach reached 107 participants and was made possible with the support of healthcare professionals, volunteers, donors, and local partners.

Although each initiative takes a different approach, these stories once again demonstrate the diversity of work taking place across the WFAD network. From cross-border youth engagement and school-based prevention to community collaboration and initiatives involving children and families, our members continue to show how locally driven approaches can respond to the needs of their communities.