Building resilient communities – the VENDA model
Community plays a crucial role in reaching out to people who don’t know whom to turn to, solving problems; raising children the right way; and in righting the wrongs. As families become nuclear and live in virtual isolation amidst thousands of people, we have forgotten that it actually takes a community to raise a child. An intervention from the community is often interpreted as an intrusion. This lack of community support is what makes many children flounder and lose themselves in the complex web of one addiction or another. As a community, we are directly responsible for every child who loses his or her way.
As the ancient proverb rightly says, “It takes a village to raise a child,” Fourth Wave Foundation – Project VENDA’s substance use prevention interventions at the grassroots level in Kerala, India, empowers every stakeholder associated with children to create Substance Abuse Free Environments (S.A.F.E.) and foster resilience within their communities. VENDA is an ongoing, multi-pronged, prevention-focused project aimed at preventing substance abuse and building resilience among children and youth in Kerala, a southern state in India.
The word ‘venda’ translates to ‘no, don’t promote’ in the vernacular language. Project VENDA uses a range of scientific, child-centric prevention initiatives – classroom student drug prevention empowerment, intervention in creative pursuits, life-skills focused empowerment, counselling, and facilitating rehab. In less than a decade, the evidence-based solutions implemented by Project VENDA has positively impacted the lives of over 10,00,000 children across Kerala, empowering them to say no to drugs and other harmful substances by helping them understand their unique inherent strengths and true potential, and strengthening their protective factors to create a shield of resilience against substance abuse. The Alternative Pursuits Program and the annual football tournament – the VENDA Cup, helps disadvantaged teens and young adults from high-risk regions steer away from substance abuse by using healthy engagement to build resilience and promote positive lifestyle choices.
Many of them are ambassadors for the cause that they now firmly believe in. Project VENDA’s work has influenced many educational institutions towards investing in prevention programs as they see the merit in enabling youngsters early on to understand the need to be aware of the ill effects of these choices.
“I was the victim of a broken home – I found refuge in things I should have avoided like the plague – so much so that even after I got a job, it was a struggle to stay clean. It was my friend who understood my deep-seated desire to clean up my life that introduced me to Project VENDA. loved the non-judgemental open conversation I had with them. And I willingly worked with real, rooted, no-nonsense people to overcome my weaknesses. The best part was that Project VENDA was willing to hire me to do something I am really good at – be a motivational trainer and football coach. Something which I did with great pride and success for five years, while I was at VENDA.”
~Tijoo Sebastian (actual name revealed as requested by Tijoo)
“My parents had to go through a lot of hardship in their lives and when things got really bad financially, one solution that my father hit upon actually made things worse. Our lives started spiralling inward. What kept me going was my passion for football – which is probably why my school coach handpicked me when I was nine and trained me in the best possible way he could. I continued to play the game for the next eight years – but things at home being what they were, I knew I could never aspire to take up football as a career. So after school, at seventeen, I started taking up odd jobs to help my family. I played for a few football clubs – some at the district level. My life changed thanks to a training program conducted by Project VENDA. They spotted me, encouraged me to take the game seriously and pushed me to try and get into the Indian team for Homeless World Cup 2019. I managed to qualify in spite of the very tough screening and became one of the eight players to represent India in Cardiff that year. The best part was that I managed to score 21 goals and we won the final against Germany and for the first time ever, brought home the Dragon Cup, one of the six trophies up for grabs at the Homeless World Cup. Today, I have the courage to believe that my life can perhaps be all about what I am genuinely passionate about. Now I will help Project VENDA in every way possible to ensure that children like me who have problems at home do not seek refuge in drugs.”
~Alan Solomon (Actual name revealed as requested by Alan)
The S.A.F.E. Village Program, a community-driven approach of Project VENDA aimed at creating Substance Abuse Free Environments through multi-stakeholder collaboration has empowered communities in Kerala to create safe environments and resilient communities. Project VENDA has equipped teachers to recognise that they have a key responsibility in helping children make informed, responsible choices. It has empowered parents to create home environments rooted in strong value systems, enabling children to protect themselves using their own internal filters.
“I believe that a teacher can sense when a student starts slipping. Not just when a bright boy starts getting low marks – but even when an average, yet active student becomes lacklustre. One of my students suddenly disconnected from the world around him. It took dozens of conversations and infinite patience to make him state his problem: he was addicted not just to substances but more to watching porn. An addiction that he had successfully kept under wraps. I suddenly realised why he was isolating himself and why he was missing out on all the fun and games.I continued to counsel him with the help of a counsellor at Project VENDA. With each conversation, he opened up – and I realised that his increasingly short temper came from the frustration of not being able to give up the habit in spite of trying hard. At this point I convinced him to seek professional help from Project VENDA. It took him six months to win the battle. My student, my child, is totally normal and happy today.
~School Teacher, Kochi
As we reflect on this collective responsibility, let us pledge to be socially aware and actively committed to creating resilient communities, to make them truly S.A.F.E. – Substance Abuse Free Environments. And more importantly, let us pledge our unconditional love and support to our children – for only the armour of love can keep them strong and resilient.
Fourth Wave Foundation – Project VENDA
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