Nausori, Fiji—The 2017 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed with an oratory contest at Saraswati College.
The United Nations designated June 26 as an annual observance to give information on drug abuse and the illegal drug trade.
The program at Saraswati College in the town of Nausori was organized jointly by the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council (NSAAC), a project of the Education Ministry, and the Fiji chapters of UPF and its affiliated organizations.
Before the inter-house oratory contest began, Mr. Santosh Neupane, the chair of the Fiji chapter of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an affiliated organization, gave an hour-long PowerPoint presentation on “Drugs and Our Youth: Focus on Prevention.” Mr. Neupane’s presentation was based on the lecture developed by the International Education Foundation on balanced education.
Mr. Manoa Senikarawa, the CEO of NSAAC, was the chief guest. He recently had returned from participating in the inaugural program in Bangkok, Thailand, of Youth and Students for Peace, a new organization founded by UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. He said he was inspired by the vision of the new organization.
Mr. Senikarawa gave a powerful testimony about the importance of values education, and he promised to help UPF organize a values education seminar on the national level, as was promised by the Education Ministry earlier. His focus was on abstinence education for the purity of the youth and purity of the nations.
Mr. Wasu Deo, the secretary general of UPF-Fiji and the principal of Saraswati College, gave the welcoming address.
For the oratory contest, students were directed to speak on the topic “Drugs and Violence in Society.” The contestants spoke well, and prizes for first and second place were given in three different categories.