Victor is a father of three children from the village of Ipillawatta which belongs to the Divisional Secretariat of Thambuttegama. He is a carpenter by profession and was a daily consumer of alcohol for around 15 years. He used to spend around Rs 700 for his alcohol needs daily from his income of Rs 1200., Victor tends to behave violently under the influence of alcohol. There were some instances where Victor had physically attacked his wife which had frightened the children. These behaviours were making the lives of his wife and children extremely miserable. Victor’s house was in a very bad state and deteriorating fast due to lack of maintenance. He was also famous for engaging in quarrels and fights with people within the village.
Following the invitation of the ‘Gemishakthi’ organization to launch a drug prevention programme in the village, Victor was identified as the ideal person to make a difference. However, Victor did not attend any of the programmes that were conducted. Victor’s wife who eagerly wanted to help Victor were present at these programmes. After some time, she strategically made sure that Victor attended these programmes. At first, he was confident that he would not give up alcohol. However, the discussions and programmes that we carried out as a part of the drug prevention programme gradually changed his mind.
Victor who reduced the consumption of alcohol managed to completely stop very soon. It has been seven years since he stopped and now, he has built a fully furnished four-bedroom house, has also obtained a bank loan with the help of his wife and bought another land plus he has started a small business of his very own where he makes cement bricks.
Victor’s work did not stop there. He established a society under the main aim of protecting children from drugs. He is also actively involved in drug prevention programmes which are carried out in the Thambuttegama area. He also helps his wife with her work and his children with their studies. He has received recognition from the police and other government officials regarding his work which has largely contributed to reducing drug use in the village of Ipillwatta.
