AIDO Network International Launches Drug-Free World Campaign at Serere Secondary School.

By Peterson Hiirya.

AIDO Network International has officially launched the 2026 Drug-Free World Campaign school outreach at Serere Secondary School, marking the beginning of an ambitious initiative that aims to reach more than 200 schools and over three million young people across the Teso sub-region and Eastern Uganda with anti-drug education.

The campaign led by  His Royal Highness Paul Jones Eganda 1, Founder and Global President of AIDO International Network, alongside Princess Ulrike Pollman Achom, Chairperson of AIDO Network International was launched at Serere Secondary School  where taddressed hundreds of students, teachers, community leaders, and development partners were in attendance.

HRH Paul Jones Eganda 1 said the campaign is part of AIDO’s wider mission of empowering communities through education, tourism, skills development, and youth employment.

He challenged Ugandans living abroad to return home and invest in their communities through hospitals, schools, businesses, and other long-term development projects.

We encourage our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries to come back home and contribute to national development. The greatest legacy we can leave is something that positively transforms our communities.

He said AIDO works closely with the Government of Uganda through the Diaspora Office under the Office of the President to mobilize Ugandans abroad to participate in national development.

Although headquartered in the United Kingdom, he noted that AIDO operates internationally through the AIDO Royal Community, which brings together more than 700 kingdoms and traditional institutions worldwide.

The Drug-Free World campaign implemented in partnership with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and supported by partners including MTN Uganda, Rotary Clubs, TBslS radio  and cultural institutions, combines school outreaches, media campaigns and community engagement to prevent substance abuse among young.

Since launching the Drug-Free World programme in Uganda last year, AIDO has awarded six university scholarships to outstanding students.

Addressing the students, Princess Ulrike Pohlman Achom praised Serere Secondary School for its leadership and commitment to drug prevention education.

She described Serere Secondary School as a second home and revealed that she regularly receives updates from the school, which she shares with colleagues and friends in the United States, Germany, Denmark, Italy and other countries.

Princess Ulrike demonstrated simple classroom techniques that teachers can use to improve concentration before lessons begin by encouraging students to observe their surroundings, identify colours, greet one another, and participate in brief physical activities.

She explained that these exercises help learners become mentally present and ready to absorb new information.

Princess Ulrike also introduced what she described as one of the biggest barriers to learning—the absence of practical demonstrations.

“When students learn about something they have never seen or experienced, they often become confused,” she explained.

She encouraged ambassadors to use photographs, videos, flip charts, practical demonstrations, and real-life examples when teaching complex subjects, including drug prevention.

Each participating school, she added, receives educational materials, including videos and booklets designed to support practical learning and strengthen drug prevention