New Life Recovery Center (NLRC) is asking the Government of Liberia to allot funds to assist institutions and organizations that are involved in the rehabilitation and training of disadvantaged youths in the country.
Executive director Jefferson Knight, says some of the huge money spent for lawmakers’ legislative engagements could be redirected to rehabilitating thousands of disadvantaged youths exposed to drugs and crimes.
Director Knight spoke at the graduation of six disadvantaged youths after undergoing a year-long rehabilitation and training at the New Life Recovery Center located in Sundaygar Town, Marshall Road in Margibi County.
According to him, the New Life Recovery Center is only rehabilitating boys currently and the management is an eight-room annex in order to take girls from the streets off the street into the program.
He noted that the center will like to increase the number of disadvantaged youths for rehabilitation but cannot do so due to inadequate resources.
Director Knight disclosed that about 80 disadvantaged youths have passed through the walls of the Center and 500 others have benefitted from the program since it started years ago.
“There is a need to introduce strong drug laws that will deal severely with people importing these dangerous substances in order to curb the proliferation of drugs and criminal activities in the country”, he suggested.
Delivering the keynote address at the program, a youth advocate, Pauline Gartor, stressed the need for parents and national leaders to do all they can to rehabilitating disadvantaged youths in the country.
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Speaking on the theme: “Transforming the Future through the Prevention of Drug Abuse,” Miss Gartor said the present generation of leaders will be held responsible if the thousands of disadvantaged youths are not rehabilitated.
She called on the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government and international nongovernmental organizations to buttress efforts by the New Life Recovery Center in rehabilitating disadvantaged youths.
According to her, thousands of young people are falling to drug abuse on a daily basis and 31 percent of school dropouts are projected to fall prey if robust action is not taken as quickly as possible.
Also speaking during the program, a member of the board of the Center, Mrs. Esther Grant, who graced the occasion as a part of her birthday celebration, cautioned the youths against returning to ghettos because it has the propensity to damage their future.
Mrs. Grant encouraged parents and guardians to support the youths so that they will not return to those bad friends who exposed them to criminal activities and drugs.
Giving their testimonies, some of the youths narrated how they used to arm rob, hijack and raid business people under the cover of darkness.
They promised never to return to the ghetto because they have been taught religious education and baptized by the pastor of the church they have been attending during their stay at the center.
Many of the parents, guardians, and relatives who graced the occasion thanked Jefferson Knight for helping to transform their loved ones.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/liberias-youth-opportunities-project-makes-headway/ Editing by Jonathan Browne
