Thirty-four At-Risk Youth who were at the Wellness Center in Kakata, Margibi County have completed the detoxification process and the first 15 were taken at the WOCDAL Rehabilitation Center in Marshall while 19 remain at Samuel Grimes Center in Kakata.
The recruitment process which began on Monday August 21, 2023 watched 105 At-Risk Youth voluntarily turn themselves over for detoxification and rehabilitation thereby documenting 88 of them as males while 17 were females.
Of the total number of volunteers, 50 were recruited in Margibi, 16 dropped apparently because the program did not meet their expectation of handling cash immediately therefore, the remaining 34 went through the detoxification process successfully and were placed in rehabilitation.
On September 12, the 34 who made it to rehabilitation were taken to the Women and Children Development Association of Liberia (WOCDAL) center in Marshall where they are now requesting to be used as ambassadors immediately after their graduation.
The Government of Liberia through the National Steering Committee for the At-Risk Youth program initiated the recruitment and subsequent rehabilitation process for the At-Risk-Youth, also known as “Zogos”
According to a Member of the Technical Working Group for the At-Risk Youth program, Jarlawah A. Tonpo, the “At-Risk-Youth” came from the Pelham Building on Center Street and around the Invincible Park communities in Sinkor.
It was reported that 38 out of the 88 males, were taken to ES Grant Memorial for detoxification before transferring them for rehabilitation while 50 others were sent to Star Base on the Bushrod Island for detoxification and rehabilitation.
17 Females were processed and sent to Mother Rescue Center for detoxification and subsequent rehabilitation.
At the start of the recruitment, the National Chairperson for the Steering Committee, D. Zeogar Wilson, said the move is in fulfilment of the government’s commitment to rehabilitate zogos from the streets.
Wilson described the start of the At-Risk Youth program as a boost intended to detoxify and reunite the young people in the society and make them more productive citizens.
It can be recalled that on June 30, 2022, the Government of Liberia in collaboration with One UN system in Liberia launched the At-Risk Youth program intended to address, tackle and take youthful Liberians who are addicted to drugs from the streets.
