Participants in Enga receive Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training

Wabag, Enga Province: A week-long workshop on Drug and Alcohol Awareness was held at the Wabag Diocese in Sangurap, Enga Province from May 19-23, 2025.

(Participants of the program with His Lordship Auxiliary Bishop Justin Ain Soongie and Mr Lawrence Tau)

The workshop brought together 30 Caritas Enga volunteers and Parish youth leaders from all five districts in the province.

Caritas Papua New Guinea (CPNG), under its Youth Advocacy Campaign 2025, in partnership with the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), supported the training, bringing on board Senior Education Liaison Officer, NYDA, Mr. Lawrence Tau, who was the facilitator.

Sessions included understanding PNG’s drug problems; the effects of drugs; mental, physical and emotional health; awareness strategies and drug information for parents, amongst others.

The participants also took part in group discussions and presentations. Moments of sharing and reflection were also part of the training. 

Auxiliary Bishop for Wabag Diocese, Bp. Justin Ain Soongie, in his opening remarks encouraged the group to learn as much as they could as they represent their communities as agents of change.

“A lot of social issues are caused by youth who have nothing to do so they resort to drugs and homebrew. This workshop will help educate each of us present here so that we can return to our communities and conduct more informed awareness on the problem,” he added.

Mr. Tau, expressed satisfaction with the training and the participation of those present and said that even though consumption of alcohol and drugs may be a big problem, change does not happen overnight and stressed that partnerships like the church and government were ways forward to address the issue.

The participants also expressed their gratitude stating that it was the first of its kind for a workshop on the topic, and they now felt that they were ready to talk about the issue with confidence after gaining much-needed valuable knowledge and skills during the workshop.

The workshop was requested by Bp. Justin, after incidences of substance abuse in the region.

A community awareness in Wabag town concluded the week-long workshop.