The Omari Project, Kenya

Since the mid 1980’s, heroin has been available in the towns along the Kenyan coast. The impact of heroin and other drug use has had dramatic consequences for the local communities in the form of increased HIV transmission through unsafe sex and shared needles, increased crime to support drug habits, and a growing number of people facing illness, imprisonment, and death.

In response, The Omari Project (TOP) was established in 1995 to provide education and services to addicts, families, and communities. It is one of only 2 drug detox facilities in sub-Saharan Africa. TOP is a non-governmental organization created with technical and financial support from The Bristol Drugs Project, the British Council, and it reports to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes.