Makomba, Sierra Leone, 28th October 2025- In response to Sierra Leone’s worsening kush epidemic, Caritas Freetown is nearing completion of a dedicated rehabilitation centre for underage girls battling addiction to the deadly synthetic drug.
The facility, located in Makomba village just outside Freetown, is the first of its kind in the country and will offer a safe haven for girls under 14 who have fallen victim to the highly addictive substance.
The initiative, spearheaded by Caritas Freetown, the development arm of the Catholic Archdiocese, is part of a broader campaign to tackle the social and psychological toll of kush, which has been declared a national emergency by health authorities. The centre will accommodate 30 girls per term, providing not only detoxification and psychological support but also hands-on agricultural training to help them rebuild their lives.
“This is more than a rehab centre, it’s a second chance,” said Fr. Peter Konteh, Executive Director of Caritas Freetown. “We’re giving these girls the tools to heal and the skills to thrive.”
The facility is built on Caritas’s agricultural training grounds and is designed to integrate therapy with vocational empowerment. According to Fr. Konteh, the programme will combine medical detox, trauma-informed care, and sustainable livelihood training to ensure that girls leave with both restored dignity and practical skills.
Government officials have been involved in assessing the site’s readiness, and the centre is expected to be commissioned soon. But Caritas’s work doesn’t stop at rehabilitation. The organization is also running nationwide awareness campaigns targeting schools, families, and community leaders, while advocating for legal reforms and child-friendly justice for minors arrested in kush-related cases.
