A Father Says Goodbye To Drugs

Actors dramatize the effects of drug use at a play sponsored by Mercy Corps. The drama is part of a program to reduce drug use in Afghan refugee villages in Pakistan. Photo: Dr. Farrukh Hasnie/Mercy Corps

Haseeb's family fled to Pakistan after their country, Afghanistan, was invaded by the Soviet Union. They spent three years living in Pishin and then settled in the refugee village in New Saranan where live today. For the first 10 years, UNHCR provided them with rations but for the last 12 years daily wages have been their only source of support.

Even as a child, Haseeb had to help his family earn money. "My son was collecting papers from garbages in Karachi when he was a small boy," Haseeb's mother recalls. Work often separated him from his family. He spent more than a year working in Iran and later in Chaman along the border with Afghanistan.

The family's circumstances made it impossible to monitor Haseeb's social activities. Two years ago they discovered that he was addicted to heroin. Even more shocking was that he had been addicted for the previous eight years. The family responded in the only way they knew how. They chained him up in the house. To ease the pain of his withdrawal, they gave him sleeping pills, analgesics and cold baths. Haseeb was in agony and, two months later, he escaped. He later was found in Pir Alizai refugee camp, where drugs are easily accessible.

His family - a wife and three young children - suffered a lot from his addiction. He started stealing household items to sell in the bazaar. He even stole the little money that his wife made from carpet weaving, which eventually forced his wife to take the children and leave.

After some time, the family heard about Mercy Corps' Drug Demand Reduction Information, Advice and Training Service for Afghan Women in Refugee Camps in Baluchistan program. The program, funded by the UN Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC), improves the capacity of healthcare professionals, community development workers and community groups working in targeted Afghan refugee villages in Baluchistan, Pakistan, to address the abuse and misuse of drugs and related healthcare issues. Though the program focuses on women, men also are eligible for assistance.

The family approached Mercy Corps for help and Haseeb was admitted to the local health facility for initial detoxification. He remained under full observation and detoxification treatment for ten days and then was referred to a drug rehabilitation center, sponsored by UNODC in Balochistan. He received treatment for six weeks and then was allowed to go home accompanied by Mercy Corps.

Two weeks after his discharge, Mercy Corps paid him a visit. Haseeb had rejoined his family and they were happy to have him back. Haseeb says, "With the grace of God and the help of Mercy Corps, I am now able to earn a living for my children instead of stealing from them."