Hemaya targets 10 million addicts By Kholood F. Al-Rhamah Saudi Gazette JEDDAH - In cooperation with the General Command of Dubai Police and the United Nations' Regional Office in United Arab Emirates, Islamic preacher Amr Khaled launched his anti-drugs campaign, Hemaya, in an effort to combat drug addiction among more than 10 million addicts in the Arab World. The campaign concluded its events that went on for almost five weeks, taking place in many countries around the Arab World including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Algeria, and United Arab Emirates. Hemaya's primary goal was to educate society members and draw in their participation in its activities, which aimed towards a drug-free generation. The five-week campaign concentrated on convincing those who are healthy to stay away from drugs and on encouraging addicts to seek treatment. In an interview on Al Rabiya.net, Amr Khaled said that the goal of the program was to distribute one million posters bearing the campaign's motto, “Stop drugs, Change your Life”, in youth gatherings like clubs, universities and schools. “ Our second goal was to arrange five thousand events in Arab countries, in which youngsters would receive advice from their peers in concerts, Friday ceremonies, school seminars, marathons and religious seminars, in addition to media coverage and other activities with celebrities,” Khaled said. “The first and second goals are means to achieve the third goal which is to get five thousand Arab addicts in treatment and rehabilitation programs, a process that will take from four to six months,” Khaled added. The campaign management set a communication center and e-mail addresses to communicate with and encourage those seeking treatment while guaranteeing the confidentiality of their personal information. Hospitals participated in the campaign by offering 50 percent discounts on rehabilitation programs, according to Al Rabiya.net. The campaign's modest budget was raised by society members that responded to the call of Amr Khaled in addition to media and charitable organizations like Life Makers, while many volunteered to work in rehabilitation centers. The program of the campaign also focused on helping inmates in correctional facilities overcome their addiction on drugs. According to Al-Arabiyah.net, The United Nation's anti-drug office's sponsorship and participation was due to the office's confidence in the wide popularity and influence of Amr Khaled among youngsters, which will probably play a cardinal role in convincing those on drugs to seek treatment. Rana Al-Morabet is one of many volunteers from Life Makers, Jeddah, a charitable organization that took on most of the workload in the campaign. “Life Makers was built on the concepts and ideas of Amr Khaled, so whenever he thinks of something we start executing immediately,” Says Al-Morabet, “400,000 brochures were distributed in malls in the first week, along with 10,000 bookmarkers, 10,000 stickers and 10,000 brooches. T-shirts bearing the campaign's logo were distributed among cleaners in streets, since they are usually very susceptible to addiction”. __
