Community

​SAHARA
  • is an organization that works in communities in the town of George, South Africa to assist people to reduce or stop alcohol, tobacco or drug use, thereby limiting the harm they cause to themselves, family and in the communities.    ​
  • reintegrates people who have been affected into the community with meaningful life.
  • advocates for better access to public health services for people with substance use disorder​.
​Statistics:
  • 70% of crimes in South African communities are ​linked to substance abuse. 
  • 67% of domestic violence is alcohol related. ​
  • 10% of the GDP ($20 billion) of the South African   
  • economy is lost due to alcohol every year.

Health 

​SAHARA
  • provides free medicines to treat substance use disorder.
  • facilitates community-based outpatient treatment for people who smoke, use alcohol problematically or use drugs.
  • follows a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach.
  • ​​the treatment is evidence based. 
​​​Statistics:
  • Research found that adding medication to treatment, has increased positive outcome by up to 50%.
  • Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in South Africa.
  • Alcohol is the 3rd leading risk factor for death and disability. 
  • 61% of violent fatalities are linked to high levels of alcohol.
  • 56% of transport related deaths are linked to  alcohol.
  • ​54% of injury-related deaths involve persons with positive blood alcohol concentration and the average is double the legal limit.

International

SAHARA in George, South Africa has implemented the ​Planet Youth Process used in Iceland.
  • This process is used internationally.
  • The first in Canada to embrace the Planet Youth process is Lanark County & Smiths Falls in Ontario. 
​​Statistics:
  • In 1998, 42% of youth in Iceland got drunk .
  • After implementing the Planet Youth Process only 5% of teenagers got drunk.

Learning

​SAHARA provides
  • training for staff and volunteer counsellors to work in clinics, schools, churches and the community to manage substance use disorder.
  • training for counsellors to facilitate support groups.
  • skills to families to participate in reducing and stopping  harm done to individuals, families and society.
  • training for doctors, nurses, community health workers and social workers in managing substance use disorder.
​​Statistics:
  • 18-26% of Grade 1 learners in certain high-risk communities showed signs of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
  • 35.2% of Western Cape learners in Grades 8 - 11 binge drink – more than any other province.​
  • Healthcare professionals diagnosed 0% of patients with alcohol disorder in a study where 15% of  patients actually had it.

Development

SAHARA has started implementing the Planet Youth program in George.
A systemic approach with:
  • encouragement of joint family dinners,
  • organized leisure time activities,
  • parental supervision.
Four pillars of Planet Youth Process: 
  1. Evidence -based practice
  2. Community-based approach
  3. Integrating research, policy and practice
  4. Schools form the hub of interventions and​ extra-curricular activities.
​​Statistics:
Planet Youth Process in Iceland reduced the percentage of teenagers getting drunk from 42% to 5% in 17 years.
CHILD funds medications to treat persons with substance use disorder as these are not affordable for people living in poverty.

A full treatment course of naltraxone for alcohol use disorder costs $290 per person.

Please consider providing treatment for one or more persons in need.
​Dr. Hermann Reuter, the Founder & Director of SAHARA,
has worked tirelessly as a  physician in the George communities to develop harm reduction programs in several different locations. Medical advice plus medications are given at various clinics. Counselling in support groups is offered to restore people, who suffer from substance use disorder, to social functioning within the family and society. In his free time, he  has built a network of connections with medical professionals, community and church leaders, social  workers, youth workers, policy makers and volunteers to implement the comprehensive programs.

Stories of Hope

Your support of SAHARA has helped many people like Sarah. Sarah is a family-focused woman who wants to support herself and her daughter and live a healthy life surrounded by her family and friends. Growing up, Sarah lived with her mother who suffered from alcohol use disorder and was verbally abusive. In her adult years, Sarah developed a substance use disorder and started smoking and using heroin, and as a result she lost her job and was separated from her daughter. Sarah tried to overcome her SUD multiple times over the years with different treatment methods, but each time she relapsed and the process started over again.

​In desperation, Sarah’s sister reached out to SAHARA. Sarah and her sister were ecstatic when the reply came that with the medication funded by CHILD, Sarah could receive treatment! Sarah is now part of the Methadone Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) program and also receives smoking cessation medication. It was a year of progress and recovery. When Sarah shared her story, she mentioned she has not used drugs in months and has an apartment that she lives in with her daughter. They are both incredibly grateful to CHILD. You can hear their gratitude in the video!

Sarah is now a big advocate for SAHARA and has even recommended several friends to join the program. Knowing the feeling of getting your life back after having SUD is a feeling she wants to help others have by investing back into her community. Sarah is still on a journey, which will inevitably have ups and downs, but with SAHARA and CHILD’s help, she will have more hope for a healthy future.
Hear Sarah's Story in her own words 

More info about SAHARA