Faces & Voices of Recovery, SA

Faces and Voices of Recovery South Africa (FAVOR SA) is a non-profit organisation based in the Western Cape, which joins individuals and groups together in order to drive a national campaign to advocate public action.

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Corporate Relevance:
FAVOR SA advoates the adoption of workplace education programmes to promote the recognition of addiction and the understanding of its treatment, and the integration of people in recovery.

Why FAVOR SA? We’ll give you three Good Reasons:

1: Because the recovery movement has, until now, had no lobby in South Africa.

Currently, addiction carries a social stigma and the various 12-Step programmes call for anonymity. Thus, many miracles of healing and restoration are kept from the public eye. We have decided to end this silence, join forces and speak out for people in recovery.

2: Because our mission is urgent.

There are too few treatment centres, too few trained medical specialists and workers, and not enough tax rands allocated to cope with the problem. There is a growing epidemic of the disease of addiction amongst young people, especially to alcohol and to the problem drug, ‘TIK”’ (methamphetamine).

Statistics recently released by the MRC for the Western Cape alone are as follows:

- During the period June 2002 to June 2004, treatment centres registered an increase of over 3000% in the number of patients seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction.

- Almost 60% of these patients were under 20 years of age.
(See the full report on the FAVOR SA website)

Addiction/alcoholism is a health care issue which is no less important than the H.I.V./A.I.D.S. issue. We aim to secure government participation in the provision of treatment to the majority of South Africans who are at present unable to afford it.

3: Because recovering addicts have rights, too.

FAVOR stands up for the rights of those who are in recovery and works to remove discrimination associated with the disease of addiction: discrimination in the workplace, in the education system, the justice system and in the health care industry.

FAVOR SA has its headquarters in the Western Cape. We would like to hear from other provinces in South Africa with a view to setting up new provincial branches of FAVOR SA. Please contact us if you would like to help spread the message!