El Shaday

There is one shelter in Cape Verde for men who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to visit this center. The most striking thing about this rehabilitation program is that there are actually few buildings, it consists of green army tents like you would see on M*A*S*H. The men live in these tents for approximately 9 months as they recover from their addictions. They have one common area that is essentially a pavilion. Upon arrival, we were invited into the pavilion and welcomed by the staff members. There are 12 staff members at the facility most of which have been through the program themselves at one time. The men on staff do not get paid for their work, but they do live at the center with the other men. We learned that 10 years ago the center was started and that it is run by a 60 year old man. He finds what limited funding they have and seeks out food donations for the men at the center.

Back to our visit, we sat in the pavilion and about 25 of the 48 men came to the pavilion to meet us. They introduced themselves and then sang/played several songs for us. This was amazing. The songs were all in Portuguese and all Christian songs. At this center, men recover through faith. They do not use any medications and the men cannot smoke. They fully believe that God is the only path to recovery. This seems to be a successful program. We asked the men what the majority of their addictions were. They told us that crack is the most “popular” drug in Cape Verde because it is cheap and is run through Cape Verde on its way from Europe and Brazil to Africa and vice versa. Unfortunately, Cape Verde happens to be situated perfectly as a stopping point for ships (this was true in the slave trade and now for drug trafficking). Fortunately, drug use is not nearly as prevalent in Cape Verde as it is in other countries. There is a major social stigma around drinking, smoking, and drug use, especially in the smaller towns and villages. The big cities, like Praia, Assomada, and Mindelo suffer the most in this respect.

Okay, so at the center, they are working on finding ways to generate their own income. One of the projects they have going are artwork. The men use natural items (leaves, flowers, sticks, etc) to create very elaborate and beautiful sculptures. They also made wonderful bowl and bottles out of wood. This is something they really just do for themselves mostly, but I talked to one of the artists and he had prices for everything, so I think they just need someone to help them find a market for their art work. Along with the arts, the men raise animals. They were recently donated 750 baby chickens (pinton). These pinton are being raised as food for the men and to mate for sustainable food sources. There are 60 grown men at the center and several young boys (who were taken in because they had bad family situations). This means A LOT of food must be prepared each day. The more sustainable projects they can get going, the better for their own survival as a center. Finally, the men have a space for carpentry projects; however, they do not have the materials they need. These men want to be able to teach each other job skills. They want to be able to train these men for future jobs to keep them clean and on the right path when they leave the center. They have pretty nice machines that were donated, but no materials to work with. This seems to be a typical problem here. Often times companies or good Samaritans will provide machines, but nothing to work with.

At the end of our visit, the men made lunch for us. It was awesome. They cooked a huge pot of Kutchupa (a very traditional Cape Verdean stew). They were so kind and generous with us. It was awesome. I am really glad that I’ll be in Praia, which is about an 1 hour car ride to the center. I’m planning on volunteering there at least one or twice a month. I also really would like to start a program where men’s clothes from the US are sent to the center. They desperately need clothes and shoes and toiletries. I heard that there is a way to get UPS or Fed Ex to ship things cheaply if they are for charitable causes in Africa! I’ll have to look into that and find out. Okay, I’m out of here. I’ve gotta start my day! We have 5 hours of Portuguese today! I’m already lost, so this should be fun. Txau, ti logu.