BACKGROUND

The problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking in Ghana is on the ascendancy and growing to epidemic proportions. It has become a serious moral, spiritual and public health crisis, affecting every aspect of our society. The field of drug abuse victims in Ghana is therefore ripe for harvest and needs urgent attention. In response to the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15, as well as “social responsibility to mankind” and to a larger extent Reverend David Wilkerson, a former rural Assemblies of God, Pastor in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, traveled to New York City and founded Teen Challenge in 1958 for the purpose of rescuing gang members and drug addicts from the “fire of addiction and crime”.

 

Some drug addicts who recently gave their lives to Christ through the Teen Challenge outreach program in Koforidua

 

THE EMERGENCE OF TEEN CHALLENGE GHANA

The story of Teen Challenge, Ghana started on 1st April, 2009, in Kumasi when the then Ashanti Regional Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Paul Frimpong-Manso, who is now the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, introduced Rev. David Owusu Boateng to the Executive Committee of the Ashanti Regional Council of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, to submit a proposal for a ministry to assist drug-dependent persons. The Executive Committee unanimously accepted the proposal, and a ministry for drug addicts and alcoholics are known then as Drug Rehabilitation Ministry was commenced in the Ashanti Region as a department of the Ashanti Regional Council. The ministry received a national recognition in 2013 by the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God, Ghana.

In March 2014, the General Superintendent received a call from the Global Teen Challenge, U.S.A, to allow Rev. Owusu Boateng to attend a “Leadership Training Course” in Nairobi, Kenya, for those working with drug dependent persons. While in Kenya, the African Director of Global Teen Challenge, Rev. Doug Weverr, sent a correspondence to the General Superintendent suggesting affiliation with the Assemblies of God, Ghana project. One of the reasons was that, they saw Ghana as strategically positioned spring board to reach out to other West African countries. According to some other Global Teen Challenge sources, they had also been praying and making efforts to reach out to Ghana and they saw our ministry as the Gateway to Ghana and West Africa in general. Realizing that the Ghana project has almost everything in common with Global Teen Challenge, the General Superintendent agreed and the Assemblies of God, Ghana’s Drug Rehabilitation Ministry, became Teen Challenge, Ghana.  The National Governing Board was inaugurated on the 17th July, 2014, at the Assemblies of God, headquarters by the General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Paul Frimpong Manso. The National launching also took place on November 25, 2014, at the Trans Continental Assembly of God, on the Spintex Road.

Rev. David Owusu Boateng, National Director of Teen Challenge, Ghana ministering to some drug addicts during an outreach program

After the National launching, Teen Challenge, Ghana has been launched in other regions. Apart from the Rehabilitation Center in Koforidua, there is a children’s programme in Amanfrom, a suburb of Takoradi, for children of drug addicts, prostitutes and deprived parents. This project is being supervised by Rev. Mrs. Doris Dsane, wife of the Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Paul Dsane. Plans are ahead to expand the children’s project to cover the country. There are plans to start other Rehabilitation centers in all the regions. This is in partial fulfillment of the vision of Global Teen Challenge, to establish forty (40) centers in the next four years in West Africa sub-region.

One of the remarkable achievements of Teen Challenge, Ghana, is the successful rehabilitation of two (2) female nurses from the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi. Their case was so hopeless and several attempts of treatment by experts and visit to prayer camps had yielded no results. Their jobs were then on line, and coming to our centre was their last straw. Thanks be to God that they are now back at post in the hospital, after nine months in our centre. This feat impressed the chief psychiatrist of the Department of psychiatrist, KATH, and he wrote a letter to the General Superintendent to seek a working relationship with our project.

 

MISSION STATEMENT

To provide youth, adults and families with an effective and comprehensive Christian faith-based solution to life-controlling drug and alcohol problems in order to enable them to become productive members of society. By applying Biblical principles, Teen Challenge endeavours to help people to become mentally-sound, emotionally–balanced, physically-well, spiritually –alive and socially–adjusted.

 

ACTIVITIES

There are three major goals of Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation measures.

Prevention: Has to do with evangelistic and drug abuse educational outreach into “At Risk” areas like the ghettos, street corners, police cells, prisons, workplaces and psychiatric facilities.

Treatment: Aims at reducing suffering, preventing disabilities and averting death by providing programmes for the management of overdose and withdrawal symptoms. In this regard, Teen Challenge, Ghana, has an affiliation with the Department of Psychiatry, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, where chronic addictive cases are referred to as examination and detoxification. This measure helps to stabilize drug use and guide the individual away from a criminal subculture toward rehabilitation and a drug-free lifestyle.

Rehabilitation: The concept of rehabilitation is to help drug-dependent persons to have a normal and useful life again after a long period during which they were considered incorrigible, anti-social and unacceptable to society.

Residential Programme: Preaching to addicted persons and leaving them to their fate is not helpful. It is therefore essential to get a convenient place to house people with life-controlling habits in order to ensure a safe haven from drug infested areas and peer influence. To this effect, we have set three (3) goals of short, medium and long-term programmes.

Short Term Programme: We have acquired a 5 room house in Fumesua, Kumasi. This premise is serving as temporal home for rehabilitation.

Medium And Long Term: Our aim for the medium and long-term programmes is to acquire some acres of land to construct permanent structures. Daily activities borders on a combined and coordinated use of religious, educational, social and vocational measures for instructing, training or retraining the student or (former addict) to a higher level of functional ability.

GOALS UPON GRADUATION: After 12 months in the residential programme, the student or (former addict) is expected to have achieved:

*A state of abstinence

*A more acceptable way of life devoid of illegal activities

*Growth to an appreciable level of spiritual maturity and the

*Reduction of crime in the communities they originated from.

Rev. David Owusu Boateng (middle), National Teen Challenge Director)with the former Regional Superintendent of Eastern region and Resident Pastor of Koforidua Central AG, Rev. Alex Ofori Amankwaa with some converts saved from drug addiction.

FUNDING SOURCE

Funding comes from the following sources:

  • Churches
  • Individuals
  • Corporate bodies
  • Donor Agencies and
  • Family members of addicts who benefit from the programme.

CONCLUSION

Teen Challenge Ghana has the capacity to positively impact and affect the lives of drug abuse victims and their families, and give them a purposeful future through Jesus Christ. We are always available to provide spiritual and professional services to people with drug-related problems.