 welcome back welcome back this is still why in the morning and I'm glad that you stayed with us if you're just starting again you're still on time you missed a little bit of our conversation in the morning with the team that is Valentine and Brands Aqua but they'll be coming in in not too long but for now we are on health and today we want to talk about carving alcohol and drug abuse especially among the youth because it's been rampant over the past few years and for that we are joined by one Mr. Calvin Odongo who's a founder and his founder and general coordinator of Precious Cornerstone that's a youth empowerment program youth community-based organization organization sorry thank you so much amazing so you want to tell us a little bit about what you do before we get into our topic alcohol and drug abuse because I know you've walked you walk with the youth a lot so we're just a little bit into that Calvin has been in the field for from tools 2011 when I remember when the post-election violence that came out in 2007 I to a search for us because for me I was in Kibira by that time and I remember we lost two of our friends which was cool mates classmates in fact where we I was and one of the one of the student also was shot dead it was shot by a gun through the storm arc and then from my something just came to my mind and I said what then can we do to bring the youth together because my focus was Lewis who are like we are Kambas and Kikuis who are like we especially the area where I am in Linesaba it is a place where it known for it has the border for Kikui it has the border for Lewis it has the border for Luya that is from Lindy Machimoni Linesaba and the reason why I brought my mind was how can we how can I create something or kind of a group which can bring all these tribes together that is why the PC band as we are started you know it had all the tribes around that place I made sure we had all the tribes together so that we could do things together so that when such a time comes we cannot be able to go against the other person or against the other tribe because already we are working together and there is something which you are doing together so that is when I started with the PC band and it was registered with the community youth based organization and I've been doing several things apart from maybe after the foundation or the register the registration the focus was I've been identifying talent within the slums because I believe that one of the challenge within the slums is people of talents people of potential potential but now people to mentor them people to encourage them someone can be singing very well in the slums but now when it comes to maybe I need money to record some this song or I need money to take me outside there that is where the challenges the challenges so my one of my target was has been identifying the talents how can we be able to how can I be able to source for the support from the friends I have and then PC band is not sponsored it doesn't have any organization which is sponsoring I do it solely and also from the friends which we have we have some some spiritual leaders that is from other church pastors which I can call together and then we discuss can we help this brother or can we help these youths that is what I normally do so it has come from it's came from a place of you saw your friends being killed during the post-election violence and you decided that you need to change something about it bring the youth together yeah in fact my main focus there is only what came in my heart the reason why I started I started this band was to bring the people who affected by that and because I remember in 22 or 7 I remember Colonso Colonso saying I'm going to support kibaki and that is why they immediately there was a camber a camber friend who was selling who was selling to us from the shop and the people just came from nowhere and they shot this this young man dead when was a student so because Colonso decided to support kibaki that is how it came so and if you can remember if you can recall very many people were killed especially in line suburb made up from the group of these are the weak we don't want to recall them but those are the challenges so my mind was how can we bring it these people together and that is why I made sure I want my team to be represented by all tribes around this place so that when everything if there is anything maybe to fight about then we don't have any need to fight about because we are all represented in this group not straight on the basis of tribes all right amazing so now bringing it to alcohol and drug abuse you have also had projects in you you mentioned of camera but now tell us about the projects that you've had around creating an awareness to the youths on alcohol and drug abuse the challenges people are for now especially very many youths are jobless and then again people are disparate outside there and especially they as we call them youth this youth also have a family some are parents some are as you call them youth because sometimes we forget we think like they're just used they are single or something like that some of them they are parents they some of them young women they have children and those are the challenges that's passing through through so most of them they have did they don't have jobs and if they have jobs they're these small jobs which cannot maybe someone can even be cooking chapati on the road and then being paid 100 per day or 150 just to sustain the family for the so my focus has been how should I because now the many youths especially now I don't know if the government is concerned about that very many youths have been involved in drug and alcohol so because of the idealist because of maybe someone is willing to go out there to work but this person doesn't have a place to go and work this person has walked all over looking for job but he has never used so this person is just looking for job if you can give me 10 20 shillings you can give me 10 Bob the only option where to go is to go and get those kind of brew or those kind of drugs which can be able to relieve them from stress that is what they what that is to what normally happens so I came to realize I just decided to come in so that I am not in a hurry maybe I can be able to say through my effort I've been able to change maybe 100 people have been able to transform because even from my band the people we have some of them have been transformed from alcohol and drug abuse because that is how I started my intention was how can I be able to share my knowledge to this person and then as this person transforms can I be able to give them because I don't know why many people if you talk to them or if I bring a band somewhere you will find many youth they just want to sing they will say I'm interested to play something in the music I mean try to say interested to sing I'm interested to play keyboard can you be able to teach me how to play guitar that is so that kind of connection is helping us to transform as much as we talk to them the ways of the withdrawal the withdrawal order may be how they can be able to come out from the drugs but we must also be able to commit them somewhere we must also be able to engage them in a place we have they can we be able to see you every day can you be able to do something together with us every day so even if it is to there is a time I was during COVID-19 I've worked with the Ministry of Health and I was able to give donations to very many youths including blankets including foodstuffs those kind of things so I was able to these are the people I was identifying and then giving support to them because of their situation and as we also give them the information and knowledge on how to come out of this situation so those are the commitments we have been giving and again it is a it is a challenge because again for the slums you must be very creative on how to engage them some of them they can be very rough if they think if they you know don't know how to engage them so it is another you must have a smart way of engaging them and also giving the information but again if you check on what the government is doing there very many organizations or very many personnel which are working out there giving the reaching people about you alcohol and drug abuse they are very old people so you sometimes you might find maybe the message is not reaching home very well so there's a disconnect because you are an old person why are you telling me about the youths you don't understand me many times I've seen I've heard I've heard them saying like you have lived your life so what do you want to tell us we are now so that those are the challenges but which I think the government should find a way of how can you be able to utilize the potential of these youths who are coming out to help on the effort on or fight against alcohol and drug abuse so that empower them because that is the knowledge they have the knowledge if I share to a brother maybe you take me to your brother and I just give the information that my brother this thing we can be able I maybe I can even say I was there and by the God's grace I've been able to come out so you can also be able to follow on what I'm doing so that we can be able to live a better life this message will be well received by this young man then somebody of your the age of your grandfather or the age of your father talking to a younger 19 year old so they automatically they will judge they will say maybe this person has reached the point of maybe now not my hedge okay so that is a part of the solution the government to when creating awareness to look for a youthful people so that they can go out and talk to the youth that are aging and dragon alcohol abuse so what would you say is that how big what is the statistics how does it look like especially in the slums because those are the areas you are in you said mostly in Kibra you mentioned and so maybe before you answer that you've said I'm looking at is it because it's I wouldn't place it the same level with Kibra or with Kawangwari because it's a bit maybe middle-class are these also going through the same thing on matters drug and alcohol abuse the same as for someone in Kibra okay you know some people I think the mind is most almost a half or a quarter three quarters of a Langata is maybe it's developed it's maybe those kind of our class but Langata also has a class a slum okay and so there is a slum within especially the side of if you are coming through Olympic and then down there to that this part of I rise again the other side to TND coming up what they are there is a slum also down there we called the real education of the raila me Gingo me Gingo there is a slum down there so there's some place they are there is even another slum at Soweto where the development the house development of housing is being done so we which is part of Kibira and the part of Langata this it is just about a special even the part of Lindy Lindy's also part of Langata so these people these places they share the same character they share the same challenges in terms of the abuse of alcohol and drug abuse it is for us our my effort or our engagement is not about those we cannot go to estates maybe to talk about they unless those their children come to the slums where we can be able to because we know they we have the identified places where we can be able to get these people okay so once we have that zoning or maybe where they play games or maybe because for them it is open if it is to smoke bang you will just find them smoking they don't run away they don't hide yeah you just go there they find them smoking so it is not something maybe you try to you will guess la you will tell someone maybe are you smoking or maybe you will see yeah you will just find them so yeah how bad clearly for what you're saying it's that much so statistic wise how would you place it the level at which the youths are indulging in drug and alcohol abuse in slums the rate is for now I think the rate is high though I cannot be able to be specific on statistic because that is a research which is made by maybe it's some organization yeah but for me from the look of just from what I can be able to see I think the rate is now very high by and again it depends because of the economy or because of the situation so it is you think it's it's reason because of the status of yeah economic challenges yeah economic challenges and then again now very many people you know there are some people who are working between before covid before covid that is 2020 and then after covid or maybe during that 2020 2021 many people lost jobs that is why if you go to the slums or maybe you go to gibira da gureti and langata you find especially from the slums you find people are very many then right now if you go in the morning you find them hanging out there because and even if you talk to them you they will be they are all specific they will tell you they have been walking around where maybe where they were working they were they are they were the job was ended so maybe they were they were terminated or maybe because big because of the rationing of the staffs so that is why you can it is a next case which you cannot even blame them when they are raising their concern yeah so that is the okay and for most of them we know that the economic challenge is one of the triggers what other triggers then what what are the thing triggers them into drug and alcohol abuse yeah other triggers yes apart from now economic challenges they can't afford they don't have jobs what other things trigger youths into drug and alcohol abuse other what I can also say as much as maybe we say some are looking for job or maybe have been working and they have been laid off they are also youth who have just decided to live their life so they have decided someone maybe you can even tell someone can you be able to join the organization we do one two three and then they can even tell you I don't want I don't want I'm just I just want to be myself I just want to so there are some people who are purposed who have just maybe some are even not even about the station of the economy or maybe the lack of jobs or maybe the situation but they are purpose to live the life they want so that is why we engage them our approach is kind of a spiritual approach and then also kind of maybe support maybe empowerment through how we identify the talent we can empower through the talent we can also empower through maybe small gift from what we have and also again we can also engage on the spiritual aspect because everything all these these are devices and a device from the community means you must engage people through the through God's precepts so what I'm saying is that our canceling or our contribution or our transformation message also must be able to line with what does God say what is the will of God we are we living the life which God wants us to live because again we avoid we avoid that much because again we are we are also meeting Muslims we are also meeting Christians but the message should be let us try to do that because living holistic life and living an acceptable life it means you must have some part of your life which are you must let your life to God to what God is saying okay amazing and how has that worked out as it's helped in doing rehabilitation now getting them off alcohol and drug abuse because I know it's it's not easy to get to get them out of it and it's not even easy to get their families take them to rehab because now we're talking about people in slums and they can't afford basic meals so how will they afford rehab so how are you exactly doing that rehabilitation is a challenge and I think even the government is having the challenge of I don't know if maybe everyone is sponsored for the rehabilitation maybe those government civil servants maybe some of them can be taken for the same but I know even of a doctor from line Sabah there is a man who was a doctor and now has been so much affected with the bank cannot even do the work and can't talk anything because now the mind of the head is not there the brain is not maybe and it was a very good doctor so it's what we're saying is that it's not even biased to those that are landed it's affecting everyone it's not those that have gone to school and those that have not yeah they are those who are working even they have money but they have decided to use their drugs so some have been affected in the process of the use so those are the challenges and that is why I don't know even I did identifying these people for rehabilitation it means it needs a lot of effort and it needs a lot of resources for example for us young youth for example we some of us we are youth we have the organization but we don't have the resources to be able to there are even some people who come to the organization maybe for to my organization as they want to they think like we have money we can do everything and can you be able to give us these or maybe some even during Christmas they come even for food we don't have food for the Christmas what can we be able to do so those are the challenges especially all the organizations which are managed by youth the challenge is the money finances and then again resources what are the how can we be able to mobilize ourselves to support on a certain need because all these needs there is a point there is a point at which you must be able to require some amount to assist on the same so those are the challenges so when you talk about rehabilitation rehabilitation it has it is a wide it has the trained personnel to be able to help you on the withdrawal so for us those who have been addicted and at the point of no return it is hard for us you cannot because even for us they to manage the mind of talking to them how do you manage for example somebody has used a bang to the extent you can this person cannot even reason with you so for you and you want to bring your effort together to be able to rehabilitate this person or maybe to help this person come out is there we at which point will you be able to talk now with this person you tell him now you can be able to do one two three or my it is sad yeah so it is it again turn back to the government and I don't know maybe you people you can be able to how I wish but the government they're listening so how would you exactly want to partner how do you want the government to come in because now you've seen how things are on the ground what exactly should the government do if you're giving an advice to the government and have you ever tried to walk with the government you've mentioned that you walk to the Ministry of Health some at some point I worked us up in partnership with the minute of health during COVID-19 okay all that was during COVID-19 yeah that was during COVID-19 and on drug and alcohol abuse there's no partnership on drug and alcohol and drug abuse through the through the office of the state function secretary state function I was engaged to Nakada okay where I met the CEO Mr. Victor but with my my expectation that I was supposed to get the effort maybe the partnership or maybe can be empowerment to be able to you reach youths which are affected with alcohol and drug abuse especially once when they recognize the song which I recorded about alcohol and drug abuse so but after that meeting nothing else nothing was never done again so we just talked and then after that it ended that way so even there is a time I tried to communicate with the communication PR PR the manager in charge of PR and I think the information the message he gave me was that for the engagement with the community that was not there it was not given that or maybe assurance maybe I can be able to engage on the same okay because my effort was how can we be able to work together with Nakada to be able to reach the slums especially my target is these people vulnerable people down there because I believe there is a time matter even during COVID I was working with the team from Minister of Health and some even were afraid of girl going deeper to the slums so that is why I want to reach those people maybe those who are unreached that we can be able to help because that is where people suffer most yeah and it is something I it is because of ignorance because of lack of knowledge because of lack of information people can be able to encourage them out so what the government should do is can we I don't what we should what the government should do is to encourage those people who are willing to help in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse because again we have the organizations which are out there which are very well said very well for example in my case I've been my organization has been mobile or we we can decide like tomorrow Saturday we are going to work from somewhere because we don't have I have been hosted the my engagement with the Minister of Health 2020 2020 was to the agreement was to bring us together to help us get a place where we can be able to call a center when we were doing creating awareness I did awareness I create with our youth we were I brought like six youth who are creating awareness and moving that is working in partner we together with the NMS Nairobi Metropolitan Services Health Promotion Officers working with the Ministry of Health and also with other organization about the fight against COVID-19 so when we do we what for example what I can be able to say because the same thing happened in the Ministry of Health we did although all that what we only received from the Ministry of Health was the fuel for the car for almost more than one year our vehicle we've been filled with by the Ministry of Health at a designated place okay petrol station so that is where we used to you at all your vehicle will be filled somewhere so whatever could come on the way maybe we are supposed to these people have been working they they did their job more than one year working with the Ministry of Health working with the Nairobi Metropolitan moving all over the sub counties within Nairobi County okay that was a good thing but now the challenges because it is being done by youth no one has been there when it comes to now you hear some stories you think like maybe even some of those who knew that we are working with the Ministry of Health or maybe with the MS maybe they thought like maybe we are part and parcel of or maybe things which are the part of the payment or something like that but I think there are some challenges which maybe at in the fullness of time we the time will come maybe we can even be able to share with the deputy president or maybe we can even give the information to the president because we know the challenges we pass through and I think to my understanding it is maybe this organization run by youth especially again there is a kind of judgment this organization come from where so where you come from automatically judge you are not supposed to benefit from certain things that is I think that is the context so they don't have trust because now for with the organization you established from Kibira yeah so there's some trust issues they don't really so like being established from Kibira it means these people they don't need money they don't need to be paid they don't need a why should we pay them this amount just do the service yeah I can remember it was even the song I recorded for the COVID-19 was a well-received song was recognized even the Ministry of Health uploaded the song the madam pierce himself uploaded the song to the website of the Ministry of Health and after the song was uploaded I was the person the person who was in charge of special program that is Dr. Kefa I think Dr. Kefa initiative called us for a meeting and the song was supposed to be paid on a jingle price okay as a jingle so when once that was after the meeting everything disappeared like and what was we are told is can you be able to go outside there we want to work as a team we want to and then we could get the program every day for the places we are supposed to do the mass testing we are supposed to do the mobilization for it there is a one even for the vaccination of the children of children under five years and we are supposed to even to do the want vaccination so those are the things but now we are here for alcohol and drug abuse maybe the time will come so now the basically what we're saying is that the government needs to be serious with organizations that the honestly in support of things that are benefiting the community community like what your organization is doing and give funds you know as much as you know in accordance to how they would have given to any other organization that is not in the established in slums yes yeah I think because I believe or maybe my perception there might be some people benefiting on the same effort which you are giving because for me I believe in the government especially where the government where we are now I think they can be very happy when you they get people who are energetic people who are focused people who are fighting on the direction which the government is looking for so I think the government this government I think can be able to support youth very well but there are people who have been maybe I think they benefit from other efforts or maybe they benefit just from the back door but what is done on this other side is different yes so that is what I think and I think that is the reason why youths are suffering more even during COVID-19 we were very many youths organization I remember even attending the brief the brief what the brief media briefing at AFI house and the challenges are we were left there so those who are willing to go that is why I sustained in the same effort for more than one year and the group which appreciated my effort is the UN habitat UN habitat is the organization which gave me an award for the effort which I gave okay so we need more support transparency and less corruption in government support this organization that I help in the community so before we get before we finish the show I want us to play this song that you did for drag alcohol and drug abuse alright so we're going to play that so that you get the message if you're a youth to get the message from it and then we'll come back again alright that is a song by Calvin Odongo alcohol and drug abuse I hope you've gotten the message I love it how informative it is and I'm just scrolling through the messages people are saying this is what the generation needs very informative free education to our youths you know it's such a good song and you sang that from a point of from for a point of love I'm imagining to get the youths to stop using this drugs telling them to be a kick in if you got to be gonna acute acute kidney failure there's this and that for them to stop taking drag and alcohol abuse yeah wow amazing and you said you received a recognition by Nakada for this song yeah amazing as we come to a close what do you want the youth to know couldn't money aqua in drag and alcohol abuse currently and then there's someone who's thinking to go into alcohol because things are not easy at this point in their life I want to pass on a job and it's really hard this pressure from their friends from the society what do you want to tell them this is your camera what I want to tell my fellow youths is there is time for everything and challenges can be there all of us I don't know if you can be here if you have not passed through challenges there is a point where we felt like we could not continue but God made us out because of the decision we made so what I want to say is that the people seen because seen is very sweet seen is very lowering seen is very sweet beautiful in the highs to the highs so what I can say is that just purpose of a good desire have a good will for your life because we only live this life we don't have any other life to live so what I want to say is that let us avoid the use of alcohol and drug abuse people I've seen people who have been working and they've been the jobs ended because they could not work anymore not that they have been fired but they just fired themselves because of the challenges they face they face with their bodies the body could not continue anymore maybe they somebody just went off so what I'm saying is that let us avoid the challenge if you have the organization the groupings which you can be able to engage with together don't be lonely don't be alone look for people can be able to talk with you talk with you and especially people can encourage you in a better in a good way there are some people companies which are which which will always direct to their destruction but I'm asking to the youth who can be identify all of us even if you don't go to church you don't go to mosque but there is a point there is someone who can talk to you there is someone who someone you can admire admire use this organization if you are you are in maybe Kibira and you want to approach PC band just come to the organization you can you will find people who can be able to talk to you about the real issue life challenges or maybe the things we pass through life so what I want to say is that let us avoid alcohol and drug abuse these are just it is just for moment but in the near future you can be there are challenges and especially if you get what I placed in that song is that the challenges the cancers you see from the research or maybe the information we have is that some are generated some are incubated some are brought up by the use of alcohol so let us avoid because tomorrow you'll be sick some of us we get maybe in that kind of illness which we cannot be able to come out we don't have the resources we don't have the money maybe to take up to us at all so why should we do the this kind of things which will make and our life very very soon so what I can say is that let us avoid alcohol let us avoid drugs and we live a better life the most important thing don't be alone just find people who can be able to talk with you find organization find groupings find those use you have your age mate some are living a better life just to find a way where you can be able to interact with them and we'll not be that is where you will get a testimony that you are not alone in what you are facing through the some are also facing the same but they have decided to live a life which is worthy amazing what can people get you if they want to reach PC Band PC Band there is PC Band I have a Twitter handle that is PC Band Kenya we are on Facebook PC Band Kenya and we are on YouTube PC Band Kenya okay so once you Google or maybe you search PC Band Kenya you will find PC Band okay I can't be able to get your information all right amazing thank you very much Calvin for coming on board and sharing us with us such amazing insights thank you so much thank you so much and God bless you all of you amen amen to that that has been Calvin Odongo who is a musician also the founder of PC Band Kenya a youth community organization and there to help the youths in facing different challenges especially in the slum areas well this has been entrepreneurship Tuesday still on matters health but more and entrepreneurship is coming next a brand cycle will be having a very interesting conversation so you want to stick here we take a short break and then we'll be right back