The church has vowed to complement government efforts in the all-out war against drug abuse and illicit liquor to save young people from annihilation.
Speaking during the commemoration of Good Friday in Kisauni Sub-County, which foryears has been synonymous with drug abuse and crimes involving the youths, Fr. Vincent Alicho the Priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Shanzu rooted for concerted efforts to tackle the challenges facing the youth.
“The youth are a vital part of society in fact without the youth there will be problems in society. As it is always said they are the leaders of tomorrow,” said Fr. Alicho.
“When they grow and they are well groomed then the society will be bright for all of us. We will get Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, and Leaders of the Church from the youth,” he added.
Fr. Alicho noted that drug abuse and crime among the youth is a concern to all and sundry as the society may lack leaders in the future. He challenged the government to partner with the church to support education and tackle unemployment among the youth, through scholarships as most of the youth engaging in crime are from poor backgrounds.
Fr. Alicho underscored the value of education as a powerful tool to take the youth from crimes through skill enhancement.
“I want to tell the government that the more they pull people out of poverty the more they are pulling them away from criminality, out of reckless situation and take them to prosperity,” said Fr. Alicho
“The issue of loans to students should be taken seriously. The Ministry of Education should look at what concerns children. If they are in schools they will not use drugs, they will not be in courts, and will move away from the vices,” added Fr. Alicho.
The Shanzu-based Catholic Church has youth-tailored programs and they organize leadership seminars to bring the youth closer to God by shunning indecorous behavior.
“We believe the more we bring them closer to God the more they will see the need to move away from vices, alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, and all the things bedeviling them,” said Fr. Alicho.
He termed drugs and illicit liquors as inimical to the youths and the church has been at the forefront of sensitizing the community even before the government launched a crackdown on bootleg liquors and drugs.
“We have been preaching to the youths about the negative effects of using drugs. In our church, we tell the youths to move away from them because they affect their brains and once the brain is tempered the youth will not be productive they can easily commit crimes because they don’t know what is good and what is bad,” said Fr. Alicho
Perpetrators of Gender Based Violence were urged to stop the vice as it is against the teachings of the bible that says men and women were created to complement each other and build a family. Couples were encouraged to solve their marital issues amicably without violence.
Muslims and Christians were advised to live in harmony and deepen brotherhood as they observe the fasting seasons that are coinciding.
By Sadik Hassan
