KRIPA Foundation remembers 10 years of service to drug users

[caption id="attachment_63197" align="alignleft" width="300"]Members of Kripa Foundation and others pose for group photo during the celebration of Kripa foundation 10th anniversary at Kohima on Monday.[/caption]KOHIMA, MAY 16 : Recounting his earlier years in the late 90s as a drug user, Balie Merhieso said life was horrible, when a drug user is being looked down and outcast by society. 

Recalling the time when drug users were treated cruelly in the form of severe punishments, shot at sight and others paraded naked, Balie said drugs users are humans too, and should not be treated like animals, and dumped like garbage. 

While stating that all drug users do want and try to give up the addiction, and be productive member of the society, he asked ‘Do the members of the church ever thought of praying for the drug users? Do the people ever try to involve those drug users to try and help them get out of their addiction? 

Narrating his story, he admitted that giving up his addiction was not easy, which required lots of will power and the moral and prayer support of family members and the people of the society. Therefore, seeking support, he has urged the people not to outcast or stigmatized drug users, but to help and encourage them in every way to help them recover.

Balie who was once a sportsman himself said using drugs has wasted him of so many years and talents. However, today he grateful to have recovered from the addiction through Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) in 2006, and is now actively involved with church activities.

He said it feels good to be slowly reintegrating himself into the society, gaining the trust and respect of the members of the society.

Balie narrated his experience ‘on the road to recovery’ during the celebration of KRIPA Foundation Nagaland OST 10th anniversary held today at its office with the theme ‘Surrender to win’.

Giving on overview of OST Nagaland, Dr Bernice, Joint Director, NSACS said though there has been problems and challenges in the initial years, OST today has 31 drop in centres across the districts of Nagaland with more than 3000 enrollment with 14% of the clients on the road to recovery.

While expressing her concern on the high rate of opium users along the international border of Mon district whereby most of the people are engaged in opium cultivation as a source of livelihood, Dr Bernice, however, said unfortunately at present there is no programme for the oral drugs users. The OST programme is at present only for injection drug users.

Appreciating the Kripa foundation for doing commendable works since its inception, she said ‘we want this kind of outcome in any NGO set up’ which not only building role models in the society but bringing them to be productive member of the society.

She also informed that medical team would be visiting from the National level in the month of September to assess all the centres regarding maintenance of standard in running the set up.

Narrating a significant event that took place in 1994 when drug abuse was at its peak and the Government of Nagaland Medical Department had issued a ban on the sale of syringes, Dr Viketoulie, Medical Officer said that was the starting point of flaring up of HIV infections among drug users in the late 90s and early part of 2000 decade.

Sensing the need to reduce the spread of HIV, he said the National AIDS Control Society (NACO) has started the Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) programme, the most successful programme in China, India and North East which has been instrumental in successfully reintegrating drug users into normal society.

Informing of the advantages of OST programme, he said ‘The best thing happen to a drug user today is the OST programme, where in the 90s the only choice was to stay in a rehab and get treated’ and added that OST has an overall stabilizing factor on the individual personality. 

Clearing the misconception of the people, Dr Viketoulie said this drug does not produce intoxication, where a person’s mind remains clear and thereby improves the occupational function of a person and helps the person to get reintegrates into the society normally. 

Therefore, he asserted that it needs the commitment and support of the OST centre staffs, doctors and the family members for the successful implementation of OST programme, which he said will  not only help reduce the rate of HIV infections, but also will help the society and many families.

In a speech read out by Dr Bernice in absence of Dr Meguosielie Kire, Project Director NSACS, said out of the many important activities launched under National AIDS Control Programme to fight against AIDS and related diseases, OST is another important element of HIV prevention among IDUs where certain high risk groups continue to show high prevalence of HIV among injecting Drug Users (ISU).

Congratulating KRIPA Foundation, Nagaland for coming ten years towards implementation of this programme considering its importance for the welfare of IDU Community, Dr Kire said the results show that a good number of IDUs have benefited from this intervention strategy in tune with their services such as drug addiction treatment, residential rehabilitation, substance abuse counseling etc.

While noting he resources and funding constraints faced by the NGOs, he is hopeful that the financial situation improves in the years to come.

Ketho, former coordinator OST, giving a brief history of OST, Kripa Foundation said there has been a drastic reduction of drug users with the implementation of OST programme, thereby reducing the rate of injection drug users too.

The programme chaired by Vikholie Yiese commenced with an invocation offered by Pastor Neikhrienyü, Baptist Mission Church, Kohima while Abou Mere, Director Kripa Foundaton gave a short speech and vote of thanks proposed by Gwabinlo, Program Manager, OST.  The gathering was enthralled with a special number presented by Kezha, The Last Glance x4.