The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has selected Egypt as the first country worldwide to implement its CHAMPS initiative, a programme meant to strengthen drug prevention for children under 18.
The announcement was made during the 68th session of the International Commission on Narcotics Control (ICNCC) held at UNODC headquarters in Vienna.
Egypt’s delegation at the session comprised officials from the Fund for Combating and Treating Addiction and Abuse headed by Amr Othman, director of the fund.
According to Medhat Wahba, spokesperson for the fund and a member of the Egyptian delegation at the ICNCC, the initiative will be implemented in cooperation with the relevant ministries and authorities. It will focus on newly developed areas that have replaced informal areas, such as Asmarat, Bashayer Al-Kheir, and Al-Mahrousa.
The CHAMPS initiative aims to empower children from birth through adolescence on the dangers of drugs by promoting awareness and prevention strategies. It seeks to instill a culture of the rejection of drug use, addiction, and smoking, enhancing children’s resilience and protecting them from substance abuse.
“While there are some cases of addiction at this age, the fund prioritises prevention and awareness-raising. We do not wait for people to become addicts before intervening,” Wahba said.
The UN’s selection of Egypt for the programme reflects the latter’s leading role in efforts to combat drug addiction and its commitment to international obligations and national responsibilities in addressing drug abuse and illicit trafficking, he noted.
Working under presidential directives, the fund is implementing drug-prevention programmes in newly developed areas through home visits, where residents are educated on early detection mechanisms for drug abuse and provided with access to treatment hotlines, he said.
Nine specialised clinics have been established in newly developed areas to offer counselling and treatment services for residents. Additionally, a sports league working under the slogan “You Are Stronger Than Drugs” has been launched to engage young people.
The fund is developing awareness programmes tailored for children, featuring storytelling workshops, artistic activities, and interactive games that educate them about the dangers of smoking and drug abuse, Wahba added.
“The fund has pioneered awareness programmes throughout the past decade. We are implementing prevention programmes for children in schools and young people in universities, utilising visual content to illustrate the dangers of addiction and the consequences of drug abuse,” he said.
“Through these programmes we try to address misconceptions, such as that drugs help people forget their worries and enhance their memory.”
“The ‘You Are Stronger Than Drugs’ campaign, featuring Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah, has been a success on the local and international levels, leading to a 500 per cent increase in calls to the addiction treatment hotline,” Wahba said.
“Its success was acknowledged globally, with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security citing it as an inspirational model and publishing it on its official website.”
At the 68th session of the ICNCC, Othman presented Egypt’s experience in combating drugs, saying that the country has a 34,000-strong network of young volunteers who have received specialised training through camps and workshops to implement scientifically proven prevention programmes.
Additionally, there are 34 addiction treatment centres nationwide, offering services that go beyond drug withdrawal to include psychological support, social rehabilitation, and economic empowerment.
Egypt is a pioneer among Middle Eastern countries in offering post-rehabilitation services, such as providing vocational training and funding for small businesses for ex-addicts in collaboration with the Nasser Social Bank.
Othman referred to Egypt’s newly launched National Drug Control Strategy implemented in partnership with governmental and non-governmental entities. The strategy encompasses multiple pillars, including primary prevention programmes in educational and youth institutions, family-oriented programmes, the encouragement of educational and sports initiatives that empower children and youth to reject drug culture, leveraging the influence of religious institutions to correct misconceptions about drug abuse, and raising awareness about the fund hotline.
“Despite the economic problems affecting the country, Egypt is one of the few countries providing free, confidential addiction treatment without discrimination on gender or age,” Wahba said.
Individual treatment costs the state LE150,000, and 85 per cent of those seeking treatment fall between the ages of 18 and 40. On an annual basis, the fund’s hotline and outpatient clinics affiliated with addiction treatment centres receive 70,000 treatment requests.
These figures were revealed by Maya Morsi, minister of social solidarity, during a conference in August announcing the results of a study conducted by the fund. The study, the first of its kind in the Arab world, monitored the impact of social and economic empowerment programmes on the quality of life of recovering addicts.
Despite Egypt’s comprehensive anti-addiction strategy, social stigma surrounding addiction remains a challenge, particularly in Upper Egypt where cultural perceptions can deter individuals from seeking treatment.
In response, individual-led initiatives have emerged to support addiction recovery. Among these is Sahwa (Awakening), launched by Karam min Allah Sayed, a journalist at Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper.
“I noticed the spread of shabo, a synthetic drug, in my hometown of Dar Al-Salam in the Sohag governorate,” Sayed said.
“Shabo has devastating effects. One addict attempted to rape his own mother, while another tried to kill his family. It is addictive from the first dose, and it ravages the brain. The price of a single dose can reach LE400, but dealers manipulate the cost based on the addict’s financial and social status, leading users to steal from their families and neighbours,” he added.
The cost of manufacturing the drug is LE1,800 per gram.
Sayed said that there had been problems convincing addicts to go to receive treatment owing to social taboos. He therefore launched his initiative six months ago, which focuses on convincing families to enrol their loved ones in treatment.
“I started with just two cases, a symbolic step to break the cycle of stigma and encourage others to follow,” he explained.
“Addicts range from 15 to 55 years old, with the average age between 19 and 24. I communicated with the fund to arrange for the addicts to receive treatment in their villages, but the protocol dictated that the addicts had to voluntarily seek treatment to prevent relapse,” he said.
“With limited access to government-run rehabilitation centres, I turned to a private addiction recovery facility, the only one in my village. Its owner is a recovering addict himself. Owing to his compassion and humanitarian commitment, we reached a deal to treat addicts for LE8,000 per month.”
Over the past six months, Sayed’s initiative has helped 85 people from 24 villages to embark on the path to recovery. The rehabilitation period varies from one to nine months, depending on the severity of the addiction and the neurological damage caused by the drugs, he said.
“On 5 April, four recovered addicts will complete their treatment. However, before their release, I am seeking employment opportunities for them as security personnel or packaging workers in local factories,” he concluded.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 20 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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