Sierra Leone NYI Help Others Say No! to Drugs
On 6 January 2026, the Overcomers Assembly Church of the Nazarene in Freetown, Sierra Leone, hosted a roundtable discussion about the scourge of drugs on their community and country. Hosted by the Sierra Leone NYI, this was an opportunity for the young people to invite friends and neighbours who are battling through drug addiction to hear about the physical and legal challenges of getting involved in the drug culture today. The NYI’s goal in this outreach was to help the group of mostly young men to see the harm they are doing to their bodies and minds, and to also walk with them in Christian discipleship to find a better way forward out of addiction.
There were three guests who came to be a part of the discussion—a medical doctor and two barristers (lawyers) who each spoke about the topic from their professional perspectives. While the medical doctor spoke about the damage to one’s body, the barristers spoke about the legal ramifications of buying and selling drugs. One of the barristers grew-up in the community around Overcomers Assembly and was even a drug addict himself. He stated that it was only through the grace of God and a saving relationship with Christ that he was able to overcome the addictions, pull his life together and become a barrister.
Drug abuse is a growing menace in society and in the country. Drugs that go by local slang names such as kush and molly, and widely known substances such as tramadol and ecstasy, among others, have made large numbers of young people sick, shattered, homeless, insane, stigmatised and traumatised. The question that keeps burning is: What can we (Christian Sierra Leoneans) do to help those who have already gone into drugs and those who are likely to go into same?
At the end of the roundtable discussions, an altar call was given and several of the young men present who struggle with their addictions gave their lives to Christ. There is a vibrant group of NYI members who were present and committed to walking this difficult road with these young men as they work to overcome their addictions by God’s grace.
We are grateful for this outreach, and we are looking forward to seeing a transformed young population in Sierra Leone.
