Library Educates Kyrgyz Children to Halt Drug Abuse

The Health Ministry of Kyrgyzstan, reports a sharp increase in registration at the state drug addiction treatment center. The rise includes opiate abusers and the accompanying threat of disease spread through shared needles.

Contributing to this drug proliferation and most troubling to those in the drug prevention arena is the targeting of children by drug dealers. With 30% of Kyrgyzstan’s 5.5 million people under the age of 15, drug use is appearing at younger and younger ages.

As Director of the Republican Library for Children and Youth in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Rosa Sultangazieva sees thousands of children and the effects of drug use. She looked for educational materials that would make a difference and discovered Foundation for a Drug-Free world and its Truth About Drugs program.

The booklets and films present the facts and figures of the harmful effects of drugs so young people can make their own informed decision to say no to drugs.

“The The Truth About Drugs has stirred great interest among our readers, because they are so relevant,” says Sultangazieva. “Readers have been actively involved in the discussion of the film and materials, giving examples from their own lives and the lives of friends. The material shows very detailed accounts of the danger of drugs to the potential young users and makes them not want to do it.”

Sultangazieva has scheduled Truth About Drugs seminars throughout the year to fulfill the library’s mission of educating Kyrgyz children to lead productive lives free of drugs.