The 4 th cycle Strengthening Families Programme (SFP 10-14) workshop for Afghan teachers
7-10 October 2018, Abu Dhabi
The SFP (10-14) programme is not only about the dangers of drugs, it's about how to help families function better in challenging circumstances. SFP (10-14) does focus not only on addressing the drug problems, it seeks to address the vulnerability of youth. In fact, it focuses on vulnerability linked to substance use which on a larger scale can be linked to violence, extremism and crime.
Having considered that, the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries under Sub-Programme 3, in close collaboration with the UNODC Global Programme on Prevention is advancing a regional response to drug prevention among youth between 10-14 years old through holding a series of SFP Training of Trainers (TOT) workshops. The 4 th cycle SFP workshop for Afghan SFP facilitators was held from 7 to10 October 2018 in Abu Dhabi, UAE with the presence of 10 Afghan SFP facilitators. During the workshop, national SFP facilitators led the 7-primary SFP sessions under supervision of two international SFP experts and the presence of representatives from the UNODC Global Programme on Prevention, Dr. Wadih Maalouf, and the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries, Ms. Roya Soltanian. The result was excellent; all Afghan facilitators were awarded the TOF (Trainer of Facilitators) certificates. The newly trained national SFP trainers will train Afghan teachers in Kabul to assume their new role as SFP facilitators aiming to implement the programme for a number of new Afghan youth and parents.
During the closing ceremony, the representative for the UNODC Regional Office for the GCC, Mr. Hatem Fouad Aly Mohamed, expressed special thanks to both UNODC Global Programme on Prevention and Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries for jointly convening such a programme which ultimately aims at empowering Afghan families and trainers, in the UAE. He further added:
"……I am glad on behalf of the host country, United Arab Emirates, but more importantly on behalf of the rest of the team in UNODC to convey the welcoming and the gratitude of His Excellency Mr. Yury Fedotov, the
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. H.E. Mr. Yury Fedotov extended thanks to the government of Canada for the support for UNODC in so many areas and so many countries around the world and being one of our major supporters and of course he extended thanks to the government of Afghanistan and its partnership with our UNODC office for Afghanistan in Kabul ……….. Dear Afghan SFP trainers! you have linked to the training of trainers, so you contributed massively to enriching the Afghan's strength in particular to deal with the challenges of drug prevention but you've also linked to our colleagues from the regional programme in Afghanistan and neighboring countries which gives them an additional strength to be able to deal with the challenges in the region…… your presence here gives us the pleasure of being able to link to your resources, programmes and to your initiatives. We can use you, trainers, to cover a variety of inter-regional cooperation that we are trying to manage here in the Gulf being considered as an inter-regional hub……."
Also, H.E. Mr. Masud Husain, Canada's ambassador to the UAE, expressed his pleasure at being able to contribute to the programme:
"………...this is actually one of the long- standing programmes that the Canadian government has been funding in Afghanistan and I'm particularly pleased that Canada has been able to fund this type of training,"training of the trainers" . This is where we really leverage the assistance where you people get the training, you bring it back, you can do further training and for others back home. This is really how we take international assistance and leverage it to its fullest. I'm delighted to see that you've done this training here and I congratulate you all and I'm just get really delighted that Canada was able to be the part of this………….".
At the end of the workshop the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries extended its gratitude to the UNODC Regional Office for the GCC, the UNODC Country Office in Islamic Republic of Iran, the UNODC Country Office in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the UNODC Global Programme on Prevention and the Government of Canada for their great support to successfully convene this inter-regional and inter-UNODC programme activity.