Discovery Trip
On November 18th, 2022, the AGC team departed for our ‘Discovery Trip’ to Brewerville, in Liberia.
Together with our community partners, we will source shelter locations and collaborate those seeking recovery to determine their current needs and required supports.
Specifically, we will be working with a group of individuals called the ‘Zokos.’ They are Liberians located all over the country, largely chemically dependent on substances and alcohol, who call the streets or graveyards their home. They rely on begging to feed themselves and are at times implicated in petty crimes. Many are ex-combatants or former child soldiers who are survivors and live with the recurring trauma of the civil war and the tremendous policy neglect that came thereafter.
Who are the Zokos and why do they need support?
Together with our community partners, we’ll be meeting with groups of Zokos to understand their
challenges, determine supports required for sustainable recovery and their willingness to change.
The Zokos occupy a unique niche in Liberian history – the legacy of the civil war and the discrimination and stigma that they continue to face is a stark reminder of their social and economic standing in Liberian society. The reported cases of suicide among this population can only be appreciated within the wider context where drug addiction is on the rise. Liberia continues to struggle in finding ways to help the Zokos overcome their adversity.
Many Zokos struggle with substance use disorders (SUDs). Combine this with such mental illnesses as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, their risk of suicide increases. Combine that with a lack of access to any mental health professionals who can enable early detection and prevention of possible suicidal behavior, only increases their risk level.
The Zokos are understudied and under-resourced by Liberians, perhaps their socioeconomic status explains the gross neglect that they face. In an opinion piece written by Emmanuel Dolo, Ph. D. in Front Page Africa, he states that the death of Zokos in Greater Monrovia, possibly as a result of suicide and chemical dependency could mean that Liberia has a looming epidemic on its hands.
There is no denying that many Zokos get to where they are because ‘hope’ is in very short supply, and live hand-to-mouth daily. They take the drugs to mask their challenges, which turn out to make their problems worse. The more that they feel overwhelmed by their life and the painful emotions of the past, the more they medicate themselves with substances - and the vicious cycle continues.
The repercussions of the deadly drug and alcohol epidemic in Liberia manifest in the lives of Zokos. They are the poster boys, girls, men, and women of the countries vast drug problem. The productivity of these young adults is lost for the most part in devastating ways.