editorial: the non profit sector, what's at stake?

The non-profit sector is a rapidly growing, multi-facetted field, consisting of associations, foundations and corporations, with many permutations of each of the three.

After traditional business and the public sector, it represents a third path which aims not only to be cost-effective, but also to place both the individuals providing the benefits and the individuals receiving them at the heart of economic and social progress.

Nowadays, this third path can be part of a sustainable solution to the on-going financial difficulties with which nations are confronted when attempting to offer and perpetuate a comprehensive system of social services for their citizens.

Dianova's example is certainly not unique, but it is the one we know the best. With its international network of treatment centers for addicted individuals offering many different rehabilitation modalities and other targeted services, with its schools and its educational and personal development programs for disadvantaged, at-risk and homeless individuals, Dianova cares for men, women, children and adolescents from all walks of life. Bringing them a high-quality range of services that are rooted in a strong sense of social responsibility and communal values contributes in a meaningful way to the achievement of a decent life by thousands who might otherwise remain on the fringes of society.

While we are proud of our own somewhat modest achievements, much more obviously still needs to be done. What a few of us have accomplished at Dianova makes us believe that a concerned global citizenry can duplicate it thousands fold in many more areas of need.

Along with renewed vigor in the public sector, the non-profit sector has the potential to become a major source of modern social services that can be sustained throughout the 21 st century and beyond. However, all of us must take the responsibility for making this happen!

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