ABOUT US

ADOPT A DRUG ADDICT is registered as an association not for gain in terms of section 21 of the Companies Act, 1973 (Act 61 of 1973). REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2009/004578/08. These particulars, as well as our SARS reference number, are also displayed on the top right-hand side of every page on this web site.

See also the article published in the Beeld Newspaper, dated 25 November 2008, regarding this project.

Who are we?

Members of our team consist mainly of volunteer parents who have walked the long and daunting road with a drug-addict child. The children we’ve helped over the years were addicted to the heavy stuff such as Heroin, Crystal Meth (Tik), Crack-Cocaine --- the stuff that can eventually kill you if you don’t stop using it!

Although we are not affiliated to any specific rehabilitation centre, and nor do we promote a specific type of drug treatment programme, we recently established a special association with a rehab facility called Freedom Recovery Centre situated in Nigel (Gauteng Province).

We have learned through trial-and-error why communities are losing the war against drugs, and why some children are trapped in a never-ending spiral of destructive behaviour due to their addiction. We have also learned (through trial-and-error) which rehabs in South Africa run successful recovery-programmes, and which one’s don’t! We are thus in the ideal position to provide counselling and advice to anyone who is seeking assistance in this regard.

Our main objective

Our main objective is to provide a community service to all the communities in South Africa who are unable to support children and/or young adults who have become the victims of drug addiction.

Secondary objectives

Our secondary objectives will be to work in collaboration with other organizations and individuals that deal with the treatment, rehabilitation, education, and skills development of these children and/or young adults.

Although our focus is mainly on children and young adults who are 21 years or younger, we will provide assistance no matter what your age, so please feel free to contact us.

The inspiration for our cause

The inspiration for our cause was found in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa in Chapter 2 of the Bill of Rights – section 28, which states:

 “A child's best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.”

IT IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE that the average age of drug dependency in South Africa is 12 years! The implications of this disturbing fact are enormous, --- considering that it only takes ONE addicted child to destroy a learning environment for 40 children. There is no doubt that drug abuse is denying our children the education they deserve and is also severely constraining their opportunities to improve their lives. The current situation in our country is not in a child’s best interests and it’s making a mockery of our constitution. ADOPT A DRUG ADDICT aims to put a stop to this destructive trend in our society, but we’re also fully conscious of the fact that this cannot be achieved without the community’s support in the form of donations, volunteer work, or other means of assistance.