The Egyptian Fund for Combating and Treating Addiction and Drug Abuse reported a major expansion of its awareness and prevention efforts during 2025, reaching thousands of schools, universities and youth centres nationwide. Officials say the campaign combined classroom sessions, creative activities and targeted initiatives to correct dangerous misconceptions about drugs and expand access to treatment information.
Egypt anti-drug campaign: nationwide outreach in 2025
The fund implemented programmes in 8,000 schools and more than 1,000 Azhar institutes and higher education colleges. Activities also extended to 55 government, private and technical universities. In total, the fund delivered over 4,000 distinct awareness events, using age-appropriate methods from interactive workshops to creative arts and sports to engage students.
Officials emphasised the practical aim of these sessions: to explain the health and social harms of substance use, identify the stages of addiction and direct young people and families to available support. The fund placed particular emphasis on dispelling myths such as the belief that drugs improve concentration, boost social acceptance or help forget problems.
Hotline outreach and myth correction
Central to the campaign was promotion of the national addiction hotline 16023. The fund provided explanations of how the hotline operates and offered on-site guidance to students who raised questions or sought referrals. Organisers said the hotline work was designed to remove barriers to early help and to normalise seeking professional support.
Youth centres, volunteers and community initiatives
Programmes reached 1,113 youth centres across governorates as part of a strategy to meet young people where they gather. Volunteerism played a growing role: more than 2,000 university students volunteered with the fund after undergoing interviews and specialised training. Fourteen residential training camps were held to prepare volunteer cadres able to deliver awareness activities across the country, including in newly developed areas and villages participating in the national “Hayah Karima” initiative.
The fund also implemented targeted outreach for specific groups. Initiatives addressed public sector staff, drivers, artisans and factory workers, focusing on occupational risks and correcting the particular misconceptions common in those settings.
Protecting children and community engagement
A notable development was the launch of the “Journey of Determination” programme under the UNODC CHAMPS framework. Egypt is the first country worldwide to announce implementation of the programme, which aims to protect children aged eight to 12 in 1,280 villages under the Hayah Karima presidential initiative during 2026. Complementary schemes such as “Think, Colour, Win” and “With Colours We Fight Smoking” engaged more than 16,000 children in parks through arts, play and team activities to build life skills and resist tobacco and substance use.
Campaign organisers said the combined approach of school-based education, hotline accessibility, volunteer-driven outreach and community initiatives is intended to strengthen prevention at scale and ensure early detection and referral for treatment. They described the 2025 effort as a foundation for further expansion in 2026, with a sustained focus on protecting vulnerable young people and supporting community resilience.
Key Takeaways:
- Egypt anti-drug campaign reached 8,000 schools, 55 universities and over 1,000 religious institutes through more than 4,000 awareness activities.
- Hotline 16023 and myth-busting sessions were rolled out to guide students and correct false beliefs about drugs.
- Programmes ran in 1,113 youth centres and activated over 2,000 university volunteers trained in 14 dedicated camps.
- Targeted initiatives include the CHAMPS-backed “Journey of Determination” for children in 1,280 villages and outreach to drivers, factory workers and artisans.
