Project Revive: Transforming the Lives of Drug-Rehabilitated Youths in Northeast India

According to the National Mental Health Survey of India, one of the most common mental health morbidities is substance use disorders (SUDs). A 2019 survey report has suggested that over 7.7 million people in India require professional help for opioid use disorders. 

Over 128 thousand people have received drug addiction treatment in India in 2021. Rehabilitation centres play a significant role in mitigating the issues faced by drug or alcohol disorders in India. However, rehabilitation centres in India face various challenges in transforming the lives of drug addicts. 

These mainly include limited space, lack of government funding, patients\' violent behaviour, poor hygiene facilities at the centres, patients\' denial of treatment, and a scarcity of well-trained staff.

Apart from the government-funded rehabilitation centres, many private centres and organizations also offer services to drug addicts. In this context, AkzoNobel India started an initiative, Project Revive, three years back to transform the lives of drug-addicted youth and make them self-sufficient through a skills development program. 

The initiative has recently achieved a milestone of its completion in three years. The program started in Manipur and has extended to Assam and Manipur.

Addiction is a chronic condition that has a serious impact on all aspects of a drug addict’s life. It mainly affects their physical and mental health, livelihood, career, and relationships. Such people feel a lack of control over their feelings and actions. 

Their addiction might often make them depressed or overwhelmed as they spend more time craving and obtaining the drugs. Their craving is to such an extent that they can even harm their family or risk their relationships. 

They unknowingly engage themselves in harmful addictive behaviour that can harm them or their dear ones. In addition, addicted people face various challenges when they quit using drugs. This includes sweating, shaking, and vomiting making them irritable and anxious.

AkzoNobel India is a chemical company and a subsidiary of Akzo Nobel NV. It is into manufacturing and distributing decorative paints, special chemicals, and performance coatings. 

Through its CSR program, the company mainly focuses on skills development for youth, education for children of underserved sections, and healthcare for poorer sections of society. 

The company has started Project Revive by collaborating with the Department of Social Welfare, Manipur Government in 2021 and the Makers Foundation. Makers Foundation is an NGO in Manipur that works for marginalized communities in remote areas to empower them for a better future.

Under Project Revive, vulnerable youth from 21 drug rehabilitation centres across five districts in Manipur were identified. They participated in a vocational skills training course in decorative painting by AkzoNobel. The trainees turned out to be professional painters after completing the course successfully. 

AkzoNobel also did the social cause of giving employment to the trained youth. In addition, the volunteers of the Makers Foundation were actively involved with the trainees for the next 90 days after the training to ensure their complete withdrawal and engagement in creative activities. They also educate them on the importance of relationships in life and help them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

The success of Project Revive in Manipur led to its expansion in Assam in 2023 and Arunachal Pradesh (AP) in 2024. The project has expanded to seven DRCs of four Assam districts while it has reached six DRCs of two districts in AP. 

The volunteers of AkzoNobel and Makers Foundation run camps in the districts and identify youth from the rehabilitation centres who are willing to update themselves by learning new skills and getting employed. 

The camps also raise awareness among the rural people regarding the behaviour of rehabilitated people and the way they can support them to improve their lives.

Project Revive has completed its three years and benefited over 840 drug-rehabilitated youth in the three states. The project has played a key role in empowering the youth and reviving their confidence. 

They now have control over their actions, feelings, and emotions which has improved their thinking and decision-making abilities. Their physical growth has also progressed remarkably.

The project has opened new possibilities and helped them live a responsible and meaningful life. Their journey of becoming a professional painter from being a drug abuser is remarkable.  

The project has enabled the youth to live a dignified and independent life and support their family. It has made the affected youth financially independent and raised their standards of living. The project has enabled them, and their family to gain a respectable place in society again. They now work hard and envision a brighter future.

The transformation in the rehabilitated youth from a drug addict to an employed professional painter has inspired other addicts and habitants to learn new skills and empower themselves. 

Project Revive received a special mention and honour at the 2nd Northeast CSR Award 2024 for the distinguished efforts that AkzoNobel took in changing the lives of so many youngsters.

Project Revive will continue to change the lives of rehabilitated youth in neighbouring states and enable them to earn their living and lead a respected life. AkzoNobel has helped many youths and children to get employment and education through numerous CSR programs. 

The company has also provided access to quality healthcare for millions of people through telemedicine. The company promises to focus on initiating programs that break gender stereotypes and support women\'s engagement and diversity in the future.

Makers Foundation established a rehabilitation centre in 2017 and 2019 that is helping the youth suffering from substance abuse get rid of drugs. The centres offer treatment services and prepare the inmates to live a life free from addiction in the future. 

The foundation has a mission to build community assets and resources for the underprivileged sections and help them live peacefully. It promises to develop a community where everyone has an opportunity to live a life with good education, health, clothes, and shelter.