Two old houses from the former Ká Hó leprosarium will now house a gallery and coffee shop as part of a project conducted by the Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau (ARTM), which is set to open to the public on December 19.
The main goal of the project is to better integrate those undergoing rehabilitation into society, teaching them a series of F&B and art skills.
The president of ARTM, Augusto Nogueira, told the Times yesterday that the stigma towards former drug users will remain. However, the association is doing its part to assist these people to live a new chapter of their lives once they are out of the rehabilitation program.
The program lasts for a year but it will not mean that those who are undergoing it could leave the premises after a year.
Providing further explanation of the association’s goal with the project, Nogueira said, “[It is a goal that] when they go out of the treatment, they can have better skills to be easier for them to find employment. We’re going to cooperate with the local industry to help them.”
The association is expected to offer vocational training and internship opportunities for former drug addicts to operate the coffee shop and art spaces.
“We hope to find them jobs but mainly, the project is for the training of the people to help them integrate better into the society, as well as make the place a tourist spot where people can come and enjoy an afternoon,” he added.
According to Nogueira, the project was first conceived in 2018.
Back in 2016, the government announced plans to convert the former leper colony in Ká Hó village in Coloane into a tourist attraction.
The plan to the make the village a tourist attraction was noted by the former Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam.
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