Success Stories from the YOLDA Beneficiaries

Youths Living Above Drug and Substance Addiction (YOLDA)program was initiated by the COFP Foundation in April 2018 as an avenue to support, help and assist reach out to the young people whose lives have been affected negatively through drug/substance abuse and addiction. Thirty-five (35) Youth benefited from this program which lasted one year – April 2018-April 2019. Through the support of the Czech Government,sixty-two (62) youths are currently benefiting from the YOLDA Program for another one-year period – 2019-2020.

The YOLDA program gives the youths the opportunity to recover and re-form themselves as to more responsible citizens. This is quite different from the normal system of rehabilitation where addicts are confined in homes and are usually cut off from the society. Our approach is that of auto-reformation where the beneficiaries recover fully from addiction with the support of their families and the society. Presently in its second year and with its second set of beneficiaries, collaboration with the Czech embassy boosted the project with more funds this time. YOLDA Program is subdivided into three phases namely: Counselling, Medical, and Empowerment; and these phases are all going on concurrently. While the counselling session is on, we have commenced the medical session and will soon begin the empowerment session as well.

The YOLDA program targets youths in the suburbs of the FCT Abuja who are always used as tools for violence by the rich and elites, especially, the politicians.As mentioned earlier, the first year of our YOLDA program witnessed 35 beneficiaries while the second year which kicked off in May 2019 had 62 youths. Many success stories were gathered from the pioneer beneficiaries of the YOLDA program who have completely quite drug and substance abuse and are self-employed through the support from the Foundation. Some of these beneficiaries have gone back to school while others are gainfully employment.