Caritas India leadership, Diocesan Directors of Social works from Kerala, and representatives of the KCBC Commission met to review the progress of Sajeevam (Anti-drug campaign) at POC, Palarivattom on 21st April 2023. The meeting discussed the campaign process, implementation challenges, rechecking the strategies and mode of operation, and also planning out the state-wise activity plan formation for the next quarter.

The statistics pointed out that, with a population of three crores, Kerala reported more than one lakh drug abuse cases in a year. Children and adults are rapidly getting addicted to alcohol and other addictive substances today. Media reports have revealed that there is a drastic increase in substance abuse among adolescents who have been caught in criminal acts.

“Sajeevam is a responsibility of faith laid on a spiritual foundation. It stands as a spiritual responsibility of the Church in Kerala in this situation where spiritual decay manifests itself in families, individuals, and communities,” said Fr. (Dr.) Paul Moonjely, Executive Director of Caritas India. He also connected the four major points to strengthen the campaign, such as ensuring a participatory nature, expanding the campaign’s understanding properly with political engagements, building a spiritual foundation with family members, and engaging in creative engagement with shared visions. He suggested an environmental modification: a decisive factor for the prevention of drug abuse and addiction at the family level, which is also a social responsibility.

An interactive session on contextual reflection on the drug menace in Kerala was taken by Adv. Charley Paul, State Spokesperson, KCBC, Temperance Commission, & Adv. Eldho Pookkunnel. They explained the theme with the help of real facts and stories from Kerala and the role of society in taking proactive steps to address this issue comprehensively.

“Toxic parenting is a cause of fatal drug use among children. Strengthening family relationships and good interactions with children can prevent this to a good extent,” said Adv. Charley Paul. He also explained four categories of children who need special attention: children who are too mischievous, children who show guilty behaviour, children who have no good relationship with their parents, and introverted children. Adv. Eldho Pookunnel spoke more on Happy hormones which is a critical factor among schoolchildren in relation to drug abuse. Setting goals, celebrating victories, listening to music, engaging in group games activities, doing yoga & meditation, socialising, etc. are some possible ways to enhance happy hormones among children and teenagers, as suggested by Adv. Eldho Pookunnel.

Cluster-wise presentations on the Sajeevam campaign were given by Mr. Albin Jose, the Sajeevam state coordinator. The overall campaign programme activities, total reach of the 5 different clusters and key activities taken by KSSF in the first quarter of the campaign, as well as the activity plan for the KSSF & DSSS partners in the 5 clusters, were presented by Mr. Albin. Mr. Abeesh Antony, Caritas India state programme associate for Kerala, presented the major activities and achievements taken in the state through Sajeevam Campaign. He spoke about the initial state-level consultation on the drug menace in Kerala, the state-level grant launch of the campaign, the DSSS coordinators training programme, DSSS level launch of the campaign and cluster level planning meetings and the various process taken for these important steps. He also mentioned the practical challenges faced during the campaign implementation like difficulties in the collaboration in the diocese level, grass root level campaign strengthening, difficulties in terms of reporting & documentation etc. in his presentation.

Fr. Jacob Mavunkal clearly stated the role and responsibilities of the Regional Forum in promoting the Sajeevam Campaign in the state. He shared that with the Sajeevam Campaign, all the 32 dioceses, KCBC Commission departments, religious congregations, schools, and other departments have unanimously come together with combined plans and efforts to address the drug menace in Kerala under the umbrella of Caritas India.

Fr. (Dr.) Jolly Puthenpura, Assistant Executive Director, Caritas India, gave quick feedback on the presentations done by Caritas India and KSSF team members. He had the opinion that “in the next phase, more activities should be designed, especially focusing on children and preventive activities to strengthen the campaign,” while appreciating the good activities done by the DSSS partner. He also mentioned the importance of volunteers in parish-level activities, stating, “Campaigns should percolate to the lowest run of the societies with the trained volunteers”.

Group discussion and sharing on the campaign activities was one of the key parts of the review, moderated by Fr. Paul Moonjely. DSSS directors and Commission members actively shared their campaign activities and their reach in the session. The notable activities are summer vacation Sajeevam camps among children and teenagers, parish-level campaign launches, Sajeevam presentation to the parish priests in the diocese, handbook formation on Sajeevam, Sajeevam Campaign strengthening with women SHGs, Campaign reach in tribal settings and jail & correctional settings etc.

After the sharing by the DSSS team, Fr. Paul spoke about the high level of responsibility of the DSSS in the campaign. The DSSS has the full responsibility and freedom to improvise, come up with new ideas, and strengthen the campaign. He also mentioned the role of the DSSS coordinator in the campaign as a change agent. “DSSS Coordinator has a greater role to play to strengthen the campaign; a switch from coordinator to liaison is necessary, which would help you think and act more proactively,” said Fr. Paul Moonjely while interacting with the Campaign Coordinators.
Fr. Jolly Puthenpura facilitated the way forward. “We have to develop different approaches to address the complex issues, the drug menace in Kerala is a complex issue so there is a need for a focused way of planning, linking with possible departments,” said Fr. Jolly. A pastoral letter on Sajeevam, the development of a common brochure, the observation of Sajeevam Sunday, state-wide observation of Sajeevam International Day against drug abuse, the formation of a Task Force etc. are the major plans rolled out for the next quarter.

Fr. Paul Moonjely in his closing remarks, emphasised 2 aspects for the better functioning of the campaign. Ownership of the DSSS is the first aspect, where creativity and a good mentality can be meticulously executed to enrich the campaign. The second aspect is the grass-roots level of strong awareness building. There is a huge space and possibilities that could be prudently utilised to reach the goals. “Going to the streets to evangelise the people for building drug-free villages with all the possible ways we have was expressed by Fr. Paul in his concluding remarks.