District D1620 Belgium

D1620 organized addiction prevention since 2007 at the district level. PDG Bruno Morel asked Johan Maertens (Rc Maldegem and 35 years of professional work in drug addiction treatment and prevention) to set up a district committee to inform, stimulate and support the clubs to work for addiction prevention. Today 45 % of D1620 clubs are active with addiction prevention in a structural and long term way.

February 2013 DG Dirk Schockaert, DGE Werner Braemscheute and Nico de Boer, RI zone 18 coordinator and Johan Maertens, decided to bring addiction prevention at Rotary International level by starting a new Rotarian Action Group Addiction Prevention. The theme was presented for the first time at the RI conference in Lisbon 2013.