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march 2010 - earthquake : a letter from the president of fundacion Dianova chile

One of the Dianova International member organizations, Fundacion Dianova Chile, has been severely affected by the recent earthquake. The forces of nature that shook Chile at the dawn of February 27 have severely affected its infrastructure.

Record of the damages for the nation and financial evaluation of the damages for Dianova centers - pdf document prepared by our team in Chile (2.3 mo)

Thankfully, no human life was lost among Dianova staff personnel in Chile or among those being cared for by them. However, due to the physical damage our organization is not capable at this time of operating with the same quality of services that we have been acknowledged for throughout the country. As a consequence, we, unfortunately, must postpone major development projects which were particularly interesting at a social level.

Dianova has been dedicated to answering the needs of those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction for more than fifteen years. Several thousand people have benefited from our high-quality treatment standards. Dianova's ongoing dedication throughout the years has helped the company become a prestigious and trustworthy organization. Chilean public and private institutions working in the fields of addiction treatment and prevention now rely on efficient non-profit organizations such as Dianova Chile.

Before the earthquake struck Chile, Dianova was operating three treatment facilities situated in the Seventh region, and three in the metropolitan area. Among those located in the Seventh region, two of them were the most severely affected and will have to be demolished. The third center, which holds the program for women with dependent children, has seismic resistant structures and suffered no damage. The center which is to be razed to the ground also used to provide a follow-up program for the inmates of Curicó and Cauquenes prisons, which will, of course, have to be suspended.

The centers of the metropolitan area, located in the municipalities of San Bernardo and Paine, have been severely affected, although the damages are repairable, and we will have to finance short-term solutions before the rainy season, which is to begin in May. In the meantime we have already gathered the centers' residents in areas less affected, but at the expense of service quality. 
It is also regrettable that one of our flagship projects that we intended to launch this year, for the bicentenary of the Nation – the education project for at-risk youth – had to be postponed because of the budget-related consequences of the earthquake.

The education project resulted from our experience with a program that we have been conducting for some time, that of providing our residents with academic instruction, enabling them to pursue primary and secondary educations. The project's initial outcomes were very encouraging, and we were intent upon developing it.

We also had to postpone a project to provide residents who abandon their treatment programs with appropriate follow-up and support for family and vocational reintegration.

Because of all this, and much more, it is Dianova Chile, as a whole, which has been affected by the earthquake. We are aware that the scourge of drugs must be constantly confronted if we are to maintain a healthy social structure and prevent its core, the family, from being affected.

The responsibility for dealing with what happened is not only that of the Chilean people, but also that of the society as a whole, globally. During other disasters we provided other countries with help and compassion, for example in Uruguay and Nicaragua, and Dianova Chile staff personnel have always participated in projects and activities initiated by Dianova International.

We administrative, clinical and management staff of Dianova CHILE, are fully convinced of the soundness of our social role, and we are committed to providing the best of ourselves to achieve the organization's objectives. But we also understand that we will have to rely on external financial help which will enable us to recover and get back on track.

This is what the report presented below is about. 

With all my best to all,

Pedro Correa, President of Dianova Chile