Stories
Helping to prevent drug abuse in Albania
16 August 2004
Real lives
In Albania, the rate of drug abuse rose significantly in the early 1990s after the country ended decades of communist rule. Estimates, including figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, point to some 30,000 drug users in Albania, a third of them in Tirana. Most users are between the ages of 17 to 25. Marijuana, heroin and cocaine are the drugs of choice.
Now 38 years old with a wife and two children, one man talks about his escape from a life with drugs. After finishing high school and carrying out his military service, he worked in Albania until the downfall of the country's dictatorship. He then left for Germany, where he was introduced to drugs, returning to Albania in 1999. He came to the Emmanuel Community in Tirana when it opened its doors in 2000. He is still there today as a maintenance worker, having successfully overcome his addiction.
Another young man quit high school after his second year. Smoking hashish, moving on to heroin and doing nothing the whole day with neighbourhood friends seemed like a much better option than going to class. In 2003, he turned to the Emmanuel Community for help. He left after only 15 days of therapy but returned in April 2004, more motivated than ever to overcome his addiction. His active participation in the programme is raising hopes for a good recovery.
Prevention is key
The Emmanuel Community is based in Italy, where it now has 30 centres for alcoholic and drug-addicted people. Its centre in Albania is located in the Vaqarr village just eight kilometres outside of Tirana, where it also has an office. While the Community focuses mainly on rehabilitating alcoholics and drug addicts, it also strives to help prevent drug abuse. This is why the group decided to make "Young People - the Future of the Country" the theme of this year's event.
Converging from all parts of Albania, some 300 young people attended an awareness-raising concert in Vaqarr. Everyone had free transportation to the concert. On Tirana's main boulevard, volunteers approached passers-by with information on the harmful effects of narcotics.
"Through such activities," says Ledia Muço of the OSCE Presence in Albania, "people become aware of drug problems and the role the community can play in helping addicts receive proper treatment."
Reaching people in need
The event organizers' efforts were not limited to 26 June. TV and radio stations, as well as national newspapers, began tackling the issue several days earlier. And for the next two days, young people with drug problems who had seen or heard the broadcasts sought help and advice at the Emmanuel Community. The Community has treated 300 drugs addicts since it opened.
The group's doctors and social workers carry out a 14-month programme to rehabilitate drug addicts, who return home equipped with new skills and a fresh start on life. "Giving young people work possibilities to integrate into society is the most successful method of prevention," says Besa Roshi, Director of Emmanuel Community in Tirana. Currently 20 young men are undergoing treatment at the Centre in Tirana.
OSCE support
Now on its fifth year, the Emmanuel Community's day of action against drugs has been receiving support from the OSCE Presence for the past two years. Together with local and international organizations and institutions in Albania, the Presence works within the framework of a public campaign initiated by local non-governmental organizations.
Taking on the issue from a different angle, in October 2003, the OSCE Presence published a needs assessment report on agriculture in the Karbunara village in southern Albania. The report suggests alternatives to drug cultivation, including growing legal crops and vineyards as well as setting up animal farms and a dairy factory.
In Albania, the rate of drug abuse rose significantly in the early 1990s after the country ended decades of communist rule. Estimates, including figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, point to some 30,000 drug users in Albania, a third of them in Tirana. Most users are between the ages of 17 to 25. Marijuana, heroin and cocaine are the drugs of choice.
Now 38 years old with a wife and two children, one man talks about his escape from a life with drugs. After finishing high school and carrying out his military service, he worked in Albania until the downfall of the country's dictatorship. He then left for Germany, where he was introduced to drugs, returning to Albania in 1999. He came to the Emmanuel Community in Tirana when it opened its doors in 2000. He is still there today as a maintenance worker, having successfully overcome his addiction.
Another young man quit high school after his second year. Smoking hashish, moving on to heroin and doing nothing the whole day with neighbourhood friends seemed like a much better option than going to class. In 2003, he turned to the Emmanuel Community for help. He left after only 15 days of therapy but returned in April 2004, more motivated than ever to overcome his addiction. His active participation in the programme is raising hopes for a good recovery.
Prevention is key
The Emmanuel Community is based in Italy, where it now has 30 centres for alcoholic and drug-addicted people. Its centre in Albania is located in the Vaqarr village just eight kilometres outside of Tirana, where it also has an office. While the Community focuses mainly on rehabilitating alcoholics and drug addicts, it also strives to help prevent drug abuse. This is why the group decided to make "Young People - the Future of the Country" the theme of this year's event.
Converging from all parts of Albania, some 300 young people attended an awareness-raising concert in Vaqarr. Everyone had free transportation to the concert. On Tirana's main boulevard, volunteers approached passers-by with information on the harmful effects of narcotics.
"Through such activities," says Ledia Muço of the OSCE Presence in Albania, "people become aware of drug problems and the role the community can play in helping addicts receive proper treatment."
Reaching people in need
The event organizers' efforts were not limited to 26 June. TV and radio stations, as well as national newspapers, began tackling the issue several days earlier. And for the next two days, young people with drug problems who had seen or heard the broadcasts sought help and advice at the Emmanuel Community. The Community has treated 300 drugs addicts since it opened.
The group's doctors and social workers carry out a 14-month programme to rehabilitate drug addicts, who return home equipped with new skills and a fresh start on life. "Giving young people work possibilities to integrate into society is the most successful method of prevention," says Besa Roshi, Director of Emmanuel Community in Tirana. Currently 20 young men are undergoing treatment at the Centre in Tirana.
OSCE support
Now on its fifth year, the Emmanuel Community's day of action against drugs has been receiving support from the OSCE Presence for the past two years. Together with local and international organizations and institutions in Albania, the Presence works within the framework of a public campaign initiated by local non-governmental organizations.
Taking on the issue from a different angle, in October 2003, the OSCE Presence published a needs assessment report on agriculture in the Karbunara village in southern Albania. The report suggests alternatives to drug cultivation, including growing legal crops and vineyards as well as setting up animal farms and a dairy factory.