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MUSEAA leads the Nation in Commemorating the International Day on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

On June 26, the Malawi-U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (MUSEAA) organized a social evening to commemorate the International Day on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at Cross Roads Hotel, Lilongwe.  The event included a line up of speeches by senior officials and other stakeholders, a second performance of the original stage play “Love Wounds,”, and distribution of t-shirts with the slogan “How are drugs and alcohol controlling your family life.”
“Love Wounds,” performed by actors from the Artistic Agency, uses drama, song and dance only to demonstrate the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and to provide a positive message on how to seek help.

Speaking to an audience of more than 120 people, Principal Secretary of Home Affairs, Mr. Tresphore Kang’ombe commended MUSEAA and the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section for organizing the event.  He then called upon the civil society and donors to emulate MUSEAA’s example by supporting government efforts in the fight against drug abuse.  Concurring with Kang’ombe, U.S. Ambassador Peter W. Bodde expressed in his remarks his pride in MUSEAA for tackling a deep social issue that many people do not talk about.
Drug addiction survivor, Steven Lungu Executive who is also Director of African Enterprise, shared his testimony of how a broken home led to his drug addiction and how he got out of the situation through religious intervention.  Lungu then appealed to the audience to take part in the fight against drug and alcohol abuse.  “It is possible to come out of addiction if one can listen to advice for only a few minutes,” he said.

The commemorative event was part of a Malawi-U.S. Exchange Alumni Association (MUSEAA) project on drug and alcohol abuse, which is being implemented with the support of the U.S. Embassy.