Walking With Sierra Leone’s Youth Through Addiction Recovery
A compassionate guide for community health workers, peer counselors, and anyone supporting young people battling drug addiction
The First Step: Meeting Them Where They Are
Every recovery story begins with a single moment of courage—that terrifying instant when a young person walks through your door, eyes downcast, shoulders heavy with shame. Our job isn’t to fix them; it’s to walk beside them.
Start with this: “You are safe here. Thank you for trusting me.”
This simple greeting can crack open the door to healing. Remember, these youth have been judged, abandoned, and labeled as “bad seeds.” They don’t need another lecture—they need someone who sees the human being beneath the addiction.