Narcotics awareness and education

The 10-year project will be implemented by the U.S. National Institute of Drug Abuse and by a private contractor. The project will provide TA upon request to A.I.D. Missions and host country institutions (public and private) in the following areas: epidemiological surveys, analysis of the economic and social costs of drug abuse, design of media campaigns and of educational materials and curricula, project design and evaluation, and management systems. Some 10-15 countries are expected to receive TA; 5 will be "emphasis" countries and will have intensive collaborative relationships with the project. Project training will emphasize development of the management/financial systems and the technical expertise needed to ensure institutionalization of the programs, and will include: (1) in-country programs for teachers, counselors, parents, community organizers, and health and social workers; (2) regional programs for public and private sector leaders, program directors, trainers, and media representatives; and (3) U.S. or third country programs for drug abuse specialists. Although the project will focus on drug demand reduction, some participant training and some information dissemination activities may be in the area of U.S. experience with treatment and rehabilitation. The project will establish a small information clearinghouse to provide Mission and host country personnel with information on scientific, epidemiological, and programmatic developments in the area of drug abuse. The clearinghouse will: collect international materials on drug abuse research and education, assist in developing and testing information packages, produce a quarterly newsletter, communicate with international drug abuse agencies, and provide an information search service. Small operations research projects will be implemented in 5-10 countries to develop models for program planning and implementation. Interventions to be researched include, inter alia, in-school drug education, mass communications, and community involvement. Evaluation will be a major activity. This component will include project evaluations and the development of evaluation methodologies.