Here is our story

SCAD is a not-for-profit youth-led organization aimed at reducing the prevalence rates of substance abuse, HIV infections and risky sexual behavior among young people in Kenya. SCAD’s strategy employs education, research and advocacy as the means for achieving this goal.

Through our education programs, we work with young people, equipping them with vital knowledge, skills and opportunities to make informed choices, knowledge to make informed decisions while our advocacy efforts are aimed at addressing the environment within which they live.



Research guides both our education and advocacy efforts as well as the efforts of others involved in the fight against drugs and HIV. Twenty-seven years ago, four boys in Upper Hill High School started a health club to educate their peers on the dangers of substance use, having seen some of their peers languish due to the vice. They called the club Students Campaign Against Drugs (SCAD Club) Peer education is a globally recognized model to enhance healthy behaviors among young people. They relate to each other’s experiences and contexts.


To gain more skills and knowledge to effectively educate their peers, the four-Dan Tengo, Aleks Kamau, Evans Mbugua and Arnold Orege, together with the school administration, reached out to an Alumnus, Dr. Frank Njenga a renowned practicing psychiatrist. Together with his colleagues, Dr. Njenga ensured the young boys got the necessary training.

Under the auspices of Chiromo Lane Medical Centre, began the steps that would leave a mark on many young people’s lives, and that has led the organization to what it is today. While our work has morphed, we have remained true to our roots, where SCAD clubs can be found across different parts of the country, carrying on sensitization and sobriety messaging.