NGO Fontana

NGO Fontana - non-profit organization

The primary mission of Fontana is to promote the prevention and reduction of harm related to chemical dependency (alcohol and drugs) through advocacy, networking, collaboration and by treating people for their dependency problems, in order to limit the negative impact of substance abuse known to be a major cause of premature death, interpersonal violence, disability and poverty, throughout the world.

Established in 1998 and based in Denmark.

Has offices in Copenhagen, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

To achieve its mission NGO Fontana works to:

• Creating and nurturing ties between organisations concerned with harm related to chemical dependency;
• Influencing policy makers by advocating effective and evidence based policies and treatment of chemical dependency;
• Monitoring policy initiatives and marketing strategies of the alcohol and pharmaceutical industries;
• Advocating for the prevention and treatment of chemical dependency as a mean to reduce HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

Among the activities in Vietnam are the Binh Minh Treatment Center, HIV/AIDS prevention, malaria preventing. The annual budget for Vietnam projects was 150,000 USD in 2005 and 2006, 400,000 USD in 2007, 2008, and 2009, 100,000 USD in 2010, and 750,000 USD in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

NGO Fontana's strategy in Vietnam builds on 7 pillars:

1. Raising awareness of evidence-based addiction treatment and encourage an open dialogue with a view to promote the understanding of the concepts of abstinence-based treatment and its benefits Provide accurate, unbiased and non-judgmental information about substance use, addiction and evidence-based treatment in order to influence politicians, opinion leaders, health care providers, the press etc. Tools include media-based social marketing, public lectures, conferences, education and training

2. Promote evidence-informed practice and develop workforce and systems Provide educating and training to indigenous/local people dealing with drugs problems – including educating and training recovering addicts to become professional drugs counsellors and specialized peer educators

3. Support measures aimed at increasing access to high quality treatment services Increasing access to individuals (addicts, family & children) on evidence based services that help people come to terms with substance abuse and problems related to substance abuse like domestic violence, child abuse etc., reduce the personal and social disruption, loss of life and poor quality of life, loss of productivity and other economic costs associated with harmful drug use. Programs and initiatives include outpatient and peer-based counselling, daytime and residential treatment, sustained recovery & vocational training (Half-Way & Quarter Houses), housing support, job placement and social integration

4. Increase community and workplace understanding of drug addiction as a disease Use public education campaigns and responsible media reporting, informed by current issues and emerging trends, to increase the public’s understanding of the nature of drug addiction and effective interventions. Seek to influence community attitude and norms. Develop local level programs that reduce drug-related stigmatization and fear. Develop, support and demonstrate the social and economic benefits of CSR initiatives for “Alcohol & Drug Free Workplace”

5. Ensuring the expansion of the knowledge base, the exchange of information and the identification and dissemination of good practice Build, strengthen and enable partners to advocate for evidence-based treatment services. Develop mechanisms for the cooperative development and transfer of knowledge among interested partners

6. Support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in building skills and organizational capacity to influence alcohol and drug policies Educate and mobilize social movements, volunteer -, indigenous peoples’ -, and community-based organizations, as well as communities and citizens acting individually and collectively of science based approaches on combating the alcohol and drugs menace – also as HIV prevention. Especially supporting the formation of Mutual Aid Groups (MAGs) in line with the principles of AA and NA as such groups elsewhere in the world have been particularly effective in disseminating the understanding of addiction as a disease and de-stigmatizing addicts

7. Measuring progress Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that data and program information is collected regularly and recycled into strategy considerations, including adjustments of programs to meet ethnic, cultural, and gender differences.