Don’t Sideline Reformed Addicts

Apostle Cobi Washington, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chosen Rehabilitation Centre (CRC), has bemoaned the culture of character of sidelining addicts even when they have fully undergone reformation.

He has therefore advised the society to “embrace them because if they don’t embrace the people that have been rehabilitated; if you get a worker and he tells you that my background was alcoholism, my background was drug addiction, don’t flush the person instantly…You have to give everybody a second chance.”

The Chief Executive Officer was speaking in an interview with Peacefmonline.com after the Management and Staff of Innova DDB Ghana, a Marketing Communications Agency, donated some items to support drug addicts undergoing reformation at the CRC.

The items which ranged from clothes, food to cash were delivered to the Centre following a visit by some representatives from Innova DDB Ghana earlier this year.

The team’s initiative was driven by compassion to enhance the livelihoods of the addicts and help them live better lives.

Donating the items, the team also reinforced their commitment to annually reach out to less privileged societies and organizations that seek the welfare of the marginalized people.

The beneficiary, Chosen Rehabilitation Centre (CRC), is a non-governmental organization which aims at providing free boarding facilities to rehabilitate street kids, drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless in the society by transforming their lives through the power of Jesus Christ.

The Centre which was registered in April 2010 also seeks to affect the lives of underprivileged individuals by meeting their basic social and personal needs.

Asked how the centre recruits addicts, Apostle Cobi Washington said their leaving the slums should be voluntary, adding that the individual should be willing to turn over a new leaf without any internal or external force.

He also implored the nation to be look out for the underprivileged society and assist them.

According to him, one of the factors which pose a threat to the country’s progress is selfishness and so, called on the citizenry to be considerate when dealing with them.

“Ghana, I think the thing that is killing us is selfishness. From the top to the lowest; it is selfishness that is causing all the problems we have in our nation. And we need to learn to selfless to help other people.” he said. The rehabilitation process takes place over a period of six months for the inmates to recover. They are supposed to undergo three months discipleship program with the other half being volunteering service with the organization after which inmates are reunited with their families and integrated into the society. The Centre also secures jobs and accommodation for the addicts in order to make them responsible when they finish their rehabilitation process. It also offer other activities such as free transformation to the public during rush hours, hold outreach programmes in the slums and organize End-of-year parties for the inmates and the underprivileged society. The Chosen Rehab founder appealed to government to come to their aid as the Centre does its noble job of reforming drug addicts in the society. Outlining some challenges the Centre has been experiencing since it took up the duty to provide solace for the marginalized group, he disclosed that feeding has been a major problem and thus expressed appreciation to Innova DDB for the kind gesture. “We feed them three times a day. When they come from the beginning, they are very malnourished. So, feeding is a cost…The women need protection. Like we are trying to hide the women’s place, not everybody can get to know there because that’s women and their children. So, we’ll need government to assign maybe security men like Policemen to really secure (the place),” he said.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana