SWAKOPMUND – Local journalist and aspiring community activist in the Erongo region Martha Namhadi-Haidula, is determined to contribute towards the fight against drug use within communities through her love for long-distance running.
Namhadi-Haidula, 40, who is also the founder of a non-profit organisation which aims to fight the use of drugs in rural areas, decided to combine her love for running and strong will to fight against the use of drugs through her campaign ‘Let’s Run Drugs out of our Communities’.
Established in 2015, the non-profit organisation called ‘Fighting the Use of Drugs in Villages’ aims to shed light on the growing concerns of drug abuse and addiction within the communities, and the urgent need for education, prevention and rehabilitation measures.
In a recent interview with Nampa, Namhadi-Haidula said the fight against drugs does not require people of specific ranks or calibre and should be a collective one.
“The use of drugs within young people especially, has become a bigger contributor to the destruction of their lives and there is a need for everyone to hold hands and fight against it.
I firmly believe that combating drug abuse requires the collective efforts of individuals, families, communities and the media,” she expressed.
Namhadi-Haidula recently took part in a 10-kilometre (km) race during the FNB/Seaworks Marathon in Swakopmund, carrying a poster with a message ‘Let’s run drugs out from our communities’, on her back.
“The aim was not to win the race, but to make a statement, which I hope I did.
Despite the challenges posed by the fact that I was carrying the massive poster, running long distance is an impressive achievement for me and using that platform to spread awareness about drug prevention is even more expressive for me,” she said.
The long-distance runner will continue to spread awareness through running, by taking part in another 10km race in the Husab Marathon at the coast slated for next week.
The poster was provided by Signworld Swakopmund, who also called on other stakeholders to join the fight against the use of drugs within communities.
– Nampa