Sedqa to step up prevention campaign

Every day last year, around 800 people made use of Sedqa's Detox Centre, while more than 500 clients made use of the agency's community services, Sedqa operations director Jean-Claude Cardona said.

Last year 166 clients started the residential detoxification programme at Dar Impenn, 69 of whom moved on to residential treatment at Komunità Santa Marija.

Over the next year Sedqa will be focusing more on the younger generation, namely by putting emphasis on its public campaigns, consolidating the prevention programmes in schools and dealing with juvenile delinquency in a wider and more comprehensive way than before, Foundation for Social Welfare Services chief executive Joe Gerada said.

President Eddie Fenech Adami yesterday visited the Komunità Santa Marija where he attended a discussion about Sedqa's operations and the latest trends in substance abuse on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and Sedqa's 12th anniversary.

A sculpture of the Sedqa logo, done by one of the people currently undergoing treatment at Santa Marija, was presented to the President.