By Yiep Joseph
South Sudan has launched Juba Rehabilitation Center to treat trauma, drug and alcohol addiction patients with hope for transformation and integration.
The privately owned Juba Rehab Center accommodates more than 50 victims, with more than 20 undergoing treatment and counseling according to the authorities.
Meanwhile, during the official launching of the center over the weekend, Sarah Bior, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Juba Rehab Center, expressed that she was inspired by the need to reform trauma and addiction patients in the society.
“I had my brother in Nairobi in the rehabilitation center when I took him, and after six months you could not believe he changed (transformed into a better person) and that one gave me, and that is why I established this center,” she said.
She added that the center would also work hand in hand with the prison service in the transformation process, adding that she dedicated the center to helping South Sudan in the transformation process.
Although privately owned, Sarah promised to ensure that the focus of the center should not be money but transforming the victims into better citizens.
On his part, the Director of Juba National Prison, Maj. Gen. Redento Tongun, appreciated the establishment, citing that it will help in transforming the lives of the people.
“When I see these services here, I think something good is coming to the national prison service and South Sudan at large,” Redento said.
He added that the transformation center brought happiness to the prison service officers as it aligned with their constitutional mandate of changing people to better ones.
“The constitutional mandate of the prison service is correction, rehabilitation, and reformation, and now that I have seen the center,” he said.
“We are going to team up with this center because rehabilitation is not an easy thing,” he added.
Ateng Wek Ateng, the former press secretary who attended the event, acknowledged the importance of the center, citing that South Sudan faces serious events of which forced society to traumatize.
He expressed that people continue to think of establishing hotels rather than reformatory centers to save the people from trauma and addiction.
Ateny expressed that there is a need for the government to support the center, adding that many people continue to be too addicted to alcohol and other drugs.
“I took my son soon to Kenya and put him in a rehabilitation center. I have been paying a lot of money. It is difficult to reform someone, and luckily, he got transformed,” he said.
He called on the investors to focus on lifesaving initiatives and projects that help the communities rather than focusing on making huge profits.