Monrovia- The increase of At-Risk Youth across Liberia has been referred to as a pandemic by the executive director of the “Zogos Wecare Initiative.” Rev. Caleb Dormah claims that the increasing growth of at-risk youth nationwide necessitates the establishment of a rehabilitation facility to meet their needs.
More than 300,000 young people in the nation are drug addicts, according to Rev. Dormah, yet the government does not consider this to be an epidemic. He emphasized that drug addiction can be compared to the COVID-19 virus and that the government must treat at-risk youth carefully because they have the potential to instigate strife in the nation.
By providing financial assistance to the At-Risk Youth on holidays and other special occasions, the government of President George Weah, according to Rev. Dormah, is encouraging drug addiction in the nation. He also claimed that this action is contributing to the increase of the At-Risk Youth in the nation, which he described as unfortunate on the part of the Liberian Leader.
At the same time, he issued a warning to the Liberian government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, to allocate a portion of US$13.8 million to organizations working to address issues involving At-Risk youth across the nation. It is known that the CDC administration started the National Funds Drive for At-Risk Youth Rehabilitation across the nation. The steering committee for at-risk youth disclosed that since August 2022, despite the government of Liberia having raised the sum of US$28,500 for the program, nothing has been done to address the issue.
Speaking to journalists on January 9, 2023, in Monrovia, Rev. Dormah urged the Liberian government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports to invest in the rehabilitation process in order to mitigate the country’s problems with At-Risk Youths. He also noted that drug addiction is a disease that must be eradicated entirely from society.
Reported by: Joseph N. Kerkula
Email: jnkerkula@gmail.com
Contact: +231777376826
