Addiction — VP Hungley: “Our role is to understand, to support, to help”

Around a hundred young people, teachers, college leaders, institutional representatives and actors from civil society were gathered around the theme of addiction, Thursday 23 in Quatre-Bornes. Robert Hungley, vice-president of the republic, sent a vibrant appeal for compassion, support and solidarity in the face of the challenges posed by addiction. The event was organized by the Sangram Sewa Sadan Day Care Center for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, based in Vacoas, in close collaboration with the municipality of Quatre-Bornes. Despite the rain which led to the cancellation of the march initially planned from La-Louise to the town hall, the organizers continued the gathering. The young people of DAV Rose-Belle, Gaëtan Raynal State Secondary School (SSS), Palma SSS and Régis Chaperon SSS still mobilized for this event. Robert Hungley maintains that addiction... whether it involves cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit substances... is not a question of morality or judgment, but often of human suffering. “We are not here to judge. Our role is to understand. To accompany. To help. As much as we can,” he declares. The vice-president underlines the crucial role of peers in prevention and in supporting people in difficulty. “There is nothing stronger than solidarity between young people. There is nothing stronger than a comrade who says: Mo la pou twa. I am here for you,” he argues. Reiterating that the challenges of addiction are a collective responsibility, Robert Hungley called on institutions, associations, families and each individual to fully assume their roles. He established a parallel with the commitment made by the young people of Rodrigues on March 11, during his mission to the island, towards a better life and mutual solidarity... thus underlining the continuity of this commitment on a national scale. Robert Hungley also returned to the responsibility of adults to ensure dignified future conditions for youth, and on the importance of including the voices of young people in the responses proposed to them. Recognizing the limits of a one-off event, Robert Hungley believes that this type of gathering can be "a starting point, a first stone”, provided that it is part of a broader reflection towards a more concrete and lasting collective commitment. The vice-president shares his conviction in this generation. “I believe in you. And I'm sure it's you who will write the rest."

Alongside those responsible for the Sangram Sewa Sadan Day Care Center for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, the Chief Government Whip Stéphanie Anquetil, the mayor of Quatre-Bornes Bryan Kennoo, as well as the secretary