For many young people in the Accra suburbs of Nima and Mamobi, the street is more than just a place to live.
It is where friendships are formed, dreams are shared and everyday struggles are confronted.
But beneath the energy of the community lies a concern that cannot be ignored, which is the growing risk of drug abuse among young people.
It was against this backdrop that the non-governmental organization, LifeCare Foundation, decided to take a drug abuse awareness campaign to Nima and Mamobi suburbs on August 28, 2026.
The residents were engaged in discussions on the dangers of substance abuse and the importance of making healthy choices.
Nima and Mamobi are a densely populated twin urban community in Accra noted as a Zongo community with a vibrant and diverse population.
Carrying posters with messages including “STOP DRUG ABUSE” and “Ensuring Healthy Life and Well Being,” members of the foundation moved through the community, speaking with residents and using direct interaction to spread their message.
The campaign was more than a public display of posters. It was an attempt to bring a difficult conversation closer to the people who live with its consequences.
The campaign received an encouraging response from members of the community. Residents interacted with the LifeCare Foundation team as they moved through the area, while some young people joined the campaigners for photographs and expressed support for the initiative. Their participation suggested an openness among some members of the community to conversations about drug abuse and healthy living.
For some young people, drug use can begin with something that appears harmless, curiosity, peer pressure or an invitation from a friend.
But what starts as experimentation can gradually become a habit, affecting education, relationships, employment and family life.
This is why the LifeCare Foundation believes prevention and education must remain at the centre of the fight against drug abuse.
Rather than simply speaking to young people, the campaign created an opportunity for them to interact directly with the campaigners and become part of the awareness effort.
The campaign also highlights the role of communities in protecting their young people. Parents, friends, teachers, community leaders and youth groups all have a part to play in recognising the pressures that can push young people towards substance abuse and offering support before the situation becomes worse.
For LifeCare Foundation, taking the message to Nima-Mamobi was therefore about more than telling people to stay away from drugs. It was about reminding young people that their lives have value and that their future should not be sacrificed to substances.
