The national fight against the deadly drug kush took on a renewed surge of energy and visibility on Saturday, 23rd November 2025, as the Minister of Social Welfare, Mrs. Melrose Karminty, marched shoulder-to-shoulder with the advocacy movement Mothers Against Kush in a bold and impassioned solidarity walk. What began as a community-driven initiative quickly transformed into a powerful national statement, as hundreds of women, youths, civil society activists, and concerned citizens poured into the streets to demonstrate a unified refusal to allow the synthetic drug to continue destroying young lives.
The atmosphere was charged with determination. Placards bearing messages such as “Save Our Children,” “Kush Is Killing Our Future,” and “Communities Rise, Drugs Fall” rippled through the streets. Drums, chants, prayers, and collective resolve coloured the march, turning it into one of the strongest public demonstrations yet against the drug that has ravaged communities and broken families across Sierra Leone.
Mothers Against Kush, a fast-growing grassroots movement, has been spearheading community dialogues, neighbourhood sensitisation, and family interventions across the country. Saturday’s march was one of its most symbolic actions—drawing mothers who have lost children, young people advocating for peers, religious leaders calling for national repentance, and activists demanding stronger government intervention.
Minister Karminty’s presence did more than simply endorse the movement—it elevated it. Her decision to walk side by side with ordinary mothers signaled a deep, personal commitment to confronting the crisis, not from behind government desks but directly within the communities where the damage is most visible. The crowd erupted with cheers as she addressed them mid-march, delivering a message filled with urgency, compassion, and unrestrained conviction.
“I joined mothers yesterday to say No to KUSH. This is not just their fight—it is our fight as a nation. And it is a fight we must win,” the Minister declared, her voice amplifying the emotional momentum of the day.
She praised President Julius Maada Bio for bolstering the national task force against drug abuse and emphasized that combatting kush requires vigilance from all citizens. She urged community members to report dealers, protect vulnerable youths, and remain unyielding in the collective resistance against the illegal drug trade.
But Minister Karminty did not stop at calling for vigilance; she laid out the broader vision. She underscored her ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen rehabilitation centres, expand psycho-social support, increase family counseling services, and enhance community-based outreach. She acknowledged that conquering the kush crisis will require more than law enforcement—it demands compassion, reintegration, and sustained social support for affected young people.
Her message resonated strongly with the mothers walking beside her. Many expressed relief at seeing a minister who not only speaks about the drug crisis but joins the very people fighting it at the community level. The march reflected an emotional blend of pain, resilience, and hope: pain for the children already lost, resilience for the children still fighting, and hope that national leaders and citizens can unite to save a generation.
As the walk concluded, the movement’s leaders renewed calls for greater investment in rehabilitation services, tighter enforcement against drug traffickers, stronger policing of hotspots, and robust nationwide education campaigns. They also called for continued collaboration between government institutions and community groups—arguing that only a united front can confront a crisis of this scale.
Saturday’s solidarity march did more than raise awareness; it strengthened a national front line. It proved that mothers, youths, communities, and government can come together, not out of despair, but out of uncompromising determination to reclaim the future of Sierra Leone’s children.
With Minister Melrose Karminty now visibly aligned with the struggle, the fight against kush has gained a louder voice, a stronger backbone, and a reinvigorated momentum that is expected to ripple into more communities in the coming weeks.
The message of the day was unmistakable: Sierra Leone is rising—and kush will not win.
