July, 2007

Networking, Cooperation & Innovation in the Non-Profit Sector

21 June 2007 will be an especially meaningful day for Dianova since Chilean President Michelle Bachelet selected our treatment center for women with dependant children in San Bernardo (Santiago de Chile) in order to publicize her government social program, while we simultaneously hold an event in Lisbon for the signing of an international cooperative agreement between member organizations.

Firstly, we would like to thank the politicians who participated in the official event inauguration: Mrs. Idalía Serrao de Menezes, Dr Manuel Cardoso and Dr. Marina Ferreira.

We would also like to point out the excellent quality of the speeches and, of course, the speakers who arrived from around the world to share their experiences in different fields: intervention practices in addiction cases, knowledge management, minors and justice, network development, etc.

We would like to make special mention of Mrs. Billant-Fedoroff, representative for the United Nations who, due to a last-minute emergency, could not travel to Lisbon. Her paper was, however, read during the event.

It is important to emphasize the commitment and hope with which all member organizations of the Dianova Network participated at this meeting, which will most definitely be repeated again in the future. The synergies that were generated at this event will enrich all of our daily efforts and will be reflected in the services provided to our users, which is always the essential reason behind all of our initiatives.

Editorial

Coincidences of life: on 21 June, Dianova held its first event at an international scale in Lisbon . On that same day, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet presented her government’s social program at our centre in San Bernardo.

Coincidences of life, perhaps; a convergence of opinions, definitely. Mrs. Bachelet’s speech emphasizes the importance of fighting poverty and her government’s wish to collaborate with NGOs that help people facing important problems. Dianova is one of them. Just because it ‘assists drug addicts’, it cannot be limited to therapeutic interventions, but must also consider the other determinants that will help people with dependencies: education, their surroundings, work, family, the fight against exclusion.

This was the direction given to the event that was organized on that same day. The most important messages were: working together, innovations to be able to better help, working with concrete issues. Because, as one of the speakers commented, innovation is finding practical and efficient applications for those that already exist.

We don’t aim to invent anything, only to constantly seek solutions that are adapted to each case and to apply our mission:

‘Developing initiatives and programs with the objective of promoting personal self-reliance and social progress’

Message from Mr. José Ángel Muñiz, Dianova International President and Mr. Pedro Correa, President of Dianova Chile to Chilean President Michelle Bachelet
© Dianova International 2007