Honouring civil society

The Bogotá Children's Shelter (Colombia), Mothers against Drugs (Belarus) and the Rebirth Charity Organization (Islamic Republic of Iran) were the 2005 winners of the United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award.

The Civil Society Award was established in 1999 by UNODC, the Government of Austria and the City of Vienna to honour individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against drug abuse, crime and terrorism.

Mothers against Drugs - Belarus

Established in 2000 to unite parents' efforts to prevent drug abuse among their children, Mothers against Drugs (MAD) has developed and implemented innovative drug abuse prevention programmes among young people. With more than 160 members and 12 regional offices throughout Belarus, MAD also provides information and assistance to drug users, their family members and people living with HIV/AIDS.

For the last five years, MAD has been running an information and prevention programme entitled "Do not let it kill you" together with federal institutions. The programme aims to reduce drug abuse and HIV infections among young people, with the involvement of former drug users.

"Drugs and alcohol are a very real threat," says 17-year-old Irina, one of the beneficiaries of the MAD programme. "Many young people think it will never cause them any problems, but it's not true."

Mothers against Drugs also created the anonymous consulting service "Your choice," which provides medical information, referrals and legal services to injecting drug users. Furthermore, since 2002, the organization has been implementing a UNDP-sponsored project in the city of Soligorsk, where it has developed an HIV prevention programme for drug users and conducts information campaigns. As a result, the number of new HIV cases among injecting drug users has declined significantly. MAD was the first organization to create self-help groups for families of drug users. To date, seven groups have been established in six cities.

As part of its awareness raising efforts, in 2002 MAD and two partners launched a website about a wide range of drug abuse-related issues in Belarus.

The Rebirth Charity Organization - Islamic Republic of Iran

The Rebirth Charity Organization, founded and run by former drug addicts, provides treatment and rehabilitation services to drug addicts using a 12-step programme.

"The membership in our 12-step community has reached 40,000 recovering members, which is higher than any other country over a 10-year period," says Froohar Tashvighi, Director of Rebirth.

As part of the treatment and rehabilitation process, drug addicts go through a programme that involves self-help groups, counselling and meditation. Currently, the organization has 26 centres in 11 provinces, two of which only treat children, young people and female drug users.

In the area of prevention, Rebirth organizes information sessions in schools on the negative effects of drug abuse. Family members of drug users and at-risk individuals are also targeted for these sessions. For the general public, the Rebirth Charity Organization promotes drug-free lifestyles in the community through sports, cultural and recreational activities.

Another of Rebirth's objectives is to minimize collateral damage associated with drug abuse. It educates the public about the negative effects of drug abuse at its three information sites in Tehran. Two drop-in centres provide additional health services to drug users, particularly those injecting drugs.

The Rebirth Charity Organization has 20 employees and 250 full-time volunteers.

The Bogotá Children's Shelter - Colombia

Since its establishment in 1958, the Bogotá Children's Shelter has helped more than 8,000 street children who use psychoactive substances. According to Yolanda Pulecio, the Shelter's founder and director, most of these children, who were once malnourished, abused and addicted to drugs, have become responsible professionals and good parents.

At present, 120 children participate in different programmes that seek to develop their sense of responsibility. Upon arriving at the Shelter, staff members prepare a treatment plan based on each child's specific problems. The next stage is to tackle learning difficulties, which are very common. The children also participate in a variety of other training programmes before going back to their families.

Families are integrated into the process, and their commitment to it has a positive impact on the child's development. The Shelter also protects the children who do not have a family. Throughout the years, the Children's Shelter has built a model of care that meets the needs of the people it helps. As these change, the institution adapts its strategies. What does not change is the Shelter's commitment to provide comprehensive responses to the problems faced by street children and young people in Colombia.