(Seychelles News Agency) - The Farm of Hope, a Roman Catholic Church rehabilitation project for substance abusers, is expected to be operational by August 2025.

Located in the western district of Port Glaud, west of Mahe, the main island, the farm will receive  $305,502 from the government to kick start the project.

During the 2025 Budget Address on October 31, the Minister of Finance, National Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, announced the budget allocation for the farm.

"Funding to support the Catholic Diocese with a new rehabilitation programme under the umbrella of 'La ferme de L'espoir' to help young Seychellois affected by alcohol and drug addiction. Mr. Speaker, this project will be based in the district of Port Glaud on a property belonging to the Catholic Diocese," said Hassan.

The minister added that "In 2025, the government will contribute SCR 4.1 million mainly to cover renovations on two buildings that will serve as this centre. The government is also covering the operating costs of this centre for three months in 2025, and in 2026 the government will provide assistance of SCR 390,000, which will cover the operating costs of this centre for 9 months."

In July this year, the Seychelles' Cabinet of Ministers was briefed on a proposal to implement the Ferme de l'Espoir/Farma of Hope (Fazenda da Esperança) drug rehabilitation project in collaboration with the Roman Catholic mission. The Cabinet had then, approved further discussions with the project proposer to establish operational parameters and implementation costs.

In March last year, the Vatican Ambassador to Seychelles visited the island nation, pledging support and cooperation in the fight against drugs, responding to President Wavel Ramkalawan's request for support addressing social ills, such as drug abuse and drug trafficking. 

The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Tomasz Grysa, had shared their experiences about drug addiction and a strategy being used for rehabilitation, mainly "The Farm of Hope." This method, which has proven to be effective and successful, was initiated by the Roman Catholic mission in the Diocese of Brazil in the early 1980s, helping many addicts to recover from addiction and to be reintegrated into society. This programme aims to rehabilitate individuals affected by substance addiction and has established over 150 units in 24 countries.

The project is spearheaded by the "Centre D'acceuil de La Rosiere", – a non-profit NGO under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Seychelles which is spearheading the implementation of this project. A steering committee was set up comprising key stakeholders with expertise from different government ministries to help provide guidance.

SNA met with Dinaz van der Lans, the secretary on the Farm of Hope local steering committee and Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Church of Seychelles, Father Eric Leon.

"This farm is very relevant for the Church because the Church has a mission, which is to be at the service of those who are poorer. And with the drug situation, people are poor or become poorer, and the Church cannot remain silent to such situations, which forces the Church to be creative to deal with the challenges," explained Leon.

The Vicar General added that such a project firmly has its place in the Diocese of Port of Victoria.

The Diocese has made available a plot of farmland - 12,000 square metres in size - with two unfinished buildings for the development of the Farm of Hope.

"In January, with the availability of funds, we will proceed with the establishment of the farm, and we hope that in 10 months' time, we will be able to welcome the first residents of this programme," said van der Lans.

The philosophy of the farm is based on three pillars, which are work, community and spirituality.  Coexistence, where love and unity are experienced as a family; the work where each member of the community works for the food they consume daily to empower the project; and the spirituality that gives meaning and direction to their lives moving forward on the path of healing.

"We will work with men aged 18 to 59 years old, and to start with, we will work only with men. We will have space for twenty participants for the programme, which will last for a year," added van der Lans.

The farm will be run by missionaries from Brazil, Uganda, and Mozambique, who have experience and have worked at other Farms of Hope. It is hoped that the Seychellois men who join and complete the programme successfully, will also join the team running the farm. 

Through the establishment of the Farm of Hope in Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, the Roman Catholic Church hopes to achieve other objectives such as community empowerment, to allow the rehabilitation to take place in a healthy, safe and supportive environment, where they can develop social resilience, learn to manage their emotions and relearn to live with others, reduce the consequences of alcohol and substance abuse, such as hospital admission and treatment costs for physical and mental complications, and legal costs for substance-related crimes, as well as increased economic productivity leading to recovered addicts to rejoin the world of work especially the agriculture sector.

According to the Division for Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation in Seychelles, in October 2022, there were 4,267 clients on the various programmes it offers. Around 99 have successfully completed the programmes, and 2,771 are still active - meaning they are maintaining their appointments and treatment - while the rest have defaulted and are irregular.