The African companions project: building capacity within African refugee communities to prevent alcohol and other drug-related harm
Helen Sowey and Hamed Turay
Drug and Alcohol Multicultural Education Centre
Contact Email:   Helendamec.org.au

Refugees from African countries might be vulnerable to alcohol and other drug-related harm, not only because of the trauma they have experienced but also due to the significant challenges they face in settling into a very different socio-cultural environment.

The African Companions project aims to build capacity within African refugee communities to prevent alcohol and other drug-related harm. The project utilises a unique model which engages the gatekeepers of various African refugee communities as 'African Companions'. These African Companions undertake extensive training, after which they are supported to share alcohol and drug information with members of their communities, and assist in making referrals to treatment services when required. The project has been running in NSW for nearly two years. To date, evaluation measures have documented not only increased knowledge of participants, but also attitudinal shifts which are essential for working with taboo issues such as alcohol and other drugs.

This paper describes the achievements of the project so far, examines some of the challenges in implementation, and highlights some pointers for effective and sustainable ways of working cross-culturally around sensitive issues.

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