Action against Addiction & Crime

Launched in 2007, Sano Paila's flagship program, the Action Against Addiction & Crime (AAC) Ò,  stands as a vital community-based initiative serving youth and others grappling with the intertwined challenges of substance abuse, criminal behavior, and mental health concerns. Operating prominently in Madhesh province, including critical cross-border districts where these issues often manifest with heightened severity, the AAC program offers a comprehensive spectrum of support.

Building on this foundation, Sano Paila, through the AAC program, delivers holistic services designed to cultivate lasting recovery and positive change. These encompass evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation, widespread awareness campaigns, professional counseling, and ongoing support networks. A core focus of the AAC program is the proactive promotion of crime prevention behaviors among at-risk youth and individuals actively seeking help, aiming to break cycles of addiction and involvement in criminal activity.

History

In December 2007, Sano Paila launched this initiative as a pioneering project, employing unconventional measures. At a time when drug treatment and recovery were heavily stigmatized in Nepal, this project aimed to demystify the recovery process for the community. As part of the campaign, a temporary tent residence, equipped with essential accommodation, food, medical, and security facilities, was erected on Birgunj's main road. Sadhu Ram Khadgi, a heroin user for 26 years, volunteered to reside in the tent for 60 days to undergo recovery. His primary motivation was to demonstrate that if he, a long-term heroin user, could overcome addiction and lead a drug-free life, others could too. This also aimed to illustrate the challenges of withdrawal and recovery to the community. Upon Sadhu's recovery, Sano Paila established its first community rehabilitation center, an initial 5-bed treatment facility, that later expanded to 11-beds, under his leadership. Sadhu worked with Sano Paila until 2014 and now leads a successful life with his own business.

In November, 2011, Dr. Donald Gragg, a California-based specialist in addiction medicine, visited Sano Paila in Birgunj. He conducted workshops with the Sano Paila team to provide training and empower them to develop a locally relevant program incorporating evidence-based principles and guidelines of addiction medicine. This interaction and training enabled the team at that time to expand the existing 11-bed facility into a 33-bed center, one of the largest in the region at the time. In hindsight, the mentorship of Dr. Gragg allowed the birth of the Action against Addiction and Crime program. Since then, Dr. Donald Gragg has been a foundational supporter, donor and a pillar of the program.

Today, Sano Paila through the Action Against Addiction and Crime (AAC) program, offers comprehensive services, including treatment, rehabilitation, awareness, counseling, and support, with a focus on promoting crime prevention behaviors among at-risk youth and individuals seeking help. Furthermore, recovered individuals serve as role models and peer educators in their communities, delivering peer-led education and behavior change communication to at-risk youth.

Sano Paila offers the following specific services through the AAC program:

1. 1. 1. 1. AAC operates the School of Recovery and Restoration (SRR) in Birgunj, a 51-bed residential treatment and rehabilitation center.
         2. Recently, under the AAC banner, Sano Paila launched Sunuwai: Counseling and Psychosocial Support Center providing youth-focused mental health support, one-on-one counseling, behavior change communication, and community-based outreach services for adolescents and young adults.
         3. Empowering Communities Through Prevention: Recognizing that preventing drug abuse and crime among youth requires a comprehensive, community-wide preventive approach, a significant component of the program focuses on engaging youth, parents, and other key influencers to promote healthy behaviors and create supportive environments that safeguard young people.

IMPACT:

The Action Against Addiction & Crime (AAC) program has demonstrably provided a crucial pathway to recovery and reintegration, successfully supporting youth and others grappling with the intertwined challenges of substance abuse, criminal behavior, and mental health concerns. Through AAC, over 3,500 individuals affected by substance abuse and criminal behavior have been rehabilitated, and have also received vital counseling and support. Beyond individual transformation, the AAC program has actively engaged communities through approximately 400 targeted awareness programs and numerous impactful mass campaigns. These outreach efforts have directly reached over half a million at-risk youth, establishing a foundational aspect in the ongoing endeavor to build drug and crime-free communities across the region. Furthermore, the program has invested in community capacity building by training over 1,200 dedicated peer-led volunteers, empowering them to become agents of change within their own networks.