Egypt’s Anti-Addiction fund presents its experience in supporting recovered addicts at int’l conference

CAIRO – 22 June 2022: The Egyptian Fund for Combating and Treating Addiction and Abuse of the Ministry of Social Solidarity presented its experience in social and economic development of recovering addicts during the 37th conference of the National Awareness Project for Drug Prevention (Grass), which was held in Kuwait.  

The fund highlighted the role it plays in improving the quality of life for ex-addicts, as one of the pioneering experiences that many countries considered inspiring, in the presence of representatives of 10 Arab and foreign countries.

The conference was held in cooperation with the International Organization for Women Empowerment and Capacity Building under the slogan “Drug addiction between challenges of confrontation and rehabilitation requirements,” at the invitation of “Grass Foundation”.

During the conference, the Egyptian Fund for Combating and Treating Addiction and Abuse reviewed the services it provides: including primary prevention, which is to implement awareness-raising activities about the harms of addiction through the voluntary associations of the Fund, with the number of volunteers reaching 32,000 volunteers so far across the country.

The fund’s activities are also implemented in schools, youth centers and developed areas.

In parallel, media campaigns with the participation of influential figures such as the international star “Mohamed Salah”, were launched, as well as early detection of drug abuse through campaigns to inspect employees in the state’s administrative apparatus, which succeeded in reducing the rate of drug abuse from 8 percent at the beginning of the campaigns in 2019 to 1 percent currently.

The fund also supports and makes available all treatment services for addiction patients free of charge and in strict confidentiality and in accordance with international standards through the hotline "16023", which is represented in counseling, treatment, rehabilitation and community integration, in light of the expansion of the provision of treatment services through 28 treatment centers in 17 governorates until the mean time. Two more centers will be opened in Qena and Giza.

The relationship between the societal integration of addiction recoverees and sustainable development goals, including good health and well-being, good education, decent work and economic growth, was also reviewed.

The Fund also launched an initiative to train addiction survivors in professional trades needed by the labor market, such as air conditioning and mobile maintenance, and electrical appliances and carpentry, and nearly 9,300 recoveries have been trained so far after providing all treatment services to addictive patients free of charge.

Also, the fund reviewed the relationship between addiction and low quality of life on the one hand, and recovery and its positive impact on improving the quality of life, as recovery from addiction increases the feeling of positive improvement in self-efficacy and improvement in better health and gaining more confidence and respect.

A series of sports courses were also organized under the slogan "Recovery Championship" in addition to permanent sports patrols in centers for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients affiliated with the Fund. The Fund further stressed its keenness to hold graduation ceremonies for new batches of the recovered in the treatment centers Affiliate and partner with the fund's hotline, as well as organizing recreational trips for the recovered.