Reachout Center Trust Executive Director Taib Abdulrahman (Wearing Islamic hat) during the youth engagement forum. [Photo/Maxwell]
Coastal county governments have been challenged to initiate various youth engagement programmes so as to bar youth from abusing drugs and indulging in criminal activities.
Reachout Centre Trust Executive Director Taib Abdulrahman said that idle youth were easily tempted to indulge in various social vices in the region, and challenged the county governments to clearly outline strategies and create a roadmap to ensure youth are engaged.
While addressing a youth forum on employment, drug abuse and crime in Mombasa on Saturday, Taib said that it was important for the county government to initiate well laid down strategies and strengthen youth programmes so as to ensure youth become more useful to their community.
He said that the organisation has been fighting drugs, though the county governments should work on the livelihood programmes after the recovery programmes and ensure the former drug users are fully engaged in economic activities.
“By fully engaging the youth, we will be helping the society curb drug abuse menace and reduce crime rate” he said.
Taib said that the aftercare strategy was very important as the idle youth would easily engage in drug abuse and crime or even relapse after they successfully go through the recovery and counseling programmes.
“The county government have the capacity to ensure that youth become self -reliance through financing various economic projects and create awareness to various youth groups on how they can apply for loans, initiate and expand their business projects” added Taib.
The Reachout Centre Trust Executive Director, a Coast-based anti-drug lobby assured Coastal leadership from all the six counties being, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu that the Organisation was open for dialogue and guiding the counties on how they can implement various projects geared towards fully engaging Coastal youth.