LRRC Lametnamun

The Lamka Rehabilitation & Research Centre (LRRC) is an initiative of the Evangelical Baptist Convention (EBC), established in response to the rising wave of drug abuse that swept across Lamka during the 1980s. Deeply moved by the growing social and spiritual crisis, the Church resolved to take concrete action to restore lives through faith, compassion and rehabilitation.

In the Board of Trustees (BOT) Meeting No. 52 held on November 12, 1988, the Church adopted a resolution to address the menace of drug abuse. This was followed by another resolution in BOT Meeting No. 60, dated September 13, 1989, to purchase land worth Rs. 2 lakhs for setting up a rehabilitation centre, initially named the Drug Addicts Rehabilitation and Research Centre. On August 14, 1990, the institution was officially renamed the Lamka Rehabilitation & Research Centre (LRRC) through BOT Meeting No. 68, and subsequently registered under the Registrar of Societies, Manipur (Registration No. 291, dated September 13, 1990).

The Centre obtained approval from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) in 1990 to care for 15 persons under the Drug Deaddiction and Rehabilitation Project. Over the years, it has expanded its capacity to accommodate 50 residents at a time, providing holistic rehabilitation—spiritually, mentally and physically. Since its inception, the Centre has successfully helped 150 individuals achieve complete recovery from drug addiction. Those who have been restored through the program continue their faith journey as a fellowship group known as the “Care Group”, maintaining close ties with the Church through regular fellowship and spiritual support.

The LRRC’s work has extended beyond rehabilitation to awareness and prevention. In 2017, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna, the Centre has conducted drug and addiction awareness programs among adolescents in schools and Sunday Schools. Between 1998 and 2020, with support from NACO, the Manipur State AIDS Control Society, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Project Orchid under the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA), the Centre successfully organized extensive HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.

From 2005 to 2012, with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM Round 2), the Centre conducted a Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PPTCT) campaign among pregnant and lactating mothers. Later, under GFATM Round 9 (Project HIFAZAT) implemented with EHA (2013–2015), training was provided to outreach workers and peer educators from various NGOs across Manipur.

In 2012, with the generous contributions of Church members, the People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) Care and Support Program was launched. Under this initiative, 120 affected households received assistance and at present, 70 beneficiaries, including 30 widows and 5 orphans, continue to receive monthly support in the form of food, daily necessities and financial assistance for medical tests and investigations. The Centre also holds monthly fellowships for PLHIVs, joined by pastors and church leaders, to offer encouragement and spiritual care.

Since April 1, 2021, the Lamka Rehabilitation & Research Centre has been operating independently without government funding, relying on the support of the Church and local congregations. It currently accommodates 50 inmates and is managed by a dedicated team of 15 staff, including a Project Officer. The Centre continues to assist individuals seeking rehabilitation but lacking financial means, ensuring that no one is turned away for want of resources.

Guided by Christian compassion and the transformative power of the Gospel, the Lamka Rehabilitation & Research Centre envisions itself to be a comprehensive addiction training, counseling, and home-based care and treatment centre for the region—bringing healing, hope and restoration to those bound by addiction.