War on alcohol abuse but NPO studying harm caused by alcohol will be closed

The Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FAR), an organization that has been working to reduce birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy since it was founded nearly 30 years ago, is set to close its doors by May 31, 2026.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a major but under-acknowledged concern in the country. While the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that less than 1% of individuals globally are affected by FASD, in South Africa FASD prevalence rates It is estimated to be 11%, which is the highest in the world.

However, Dr. Lena Ollivier, CEO of Farr, told Daily Maverick in an interview that transmission rates in specific communities may be much higher.

“We've worked in areas where[FASD]prevalence rates were up to 28.2%, and rates were around that. So, it's very high – it's the highest reported in the world,” he said.

This closure is associated with a decline in funding, particularly for the research portion of nonprofit operations. According to activists and experts working in this field, this represents a “profound loss” for the alcohol harm prevention field.

Farr's work focuses primarily on surveillance and FASD in provinces across the country. According to the organization, FASD involves permanent and irreversible damage to the developing fetus from alcohol exposure during pregnancy, and is “the most common preventable form of mental and physical disability.”

The closure of Farr's operations comes at a time when the harms caused by alcohol are in the spotlight after President Cyril Ramaphosa identified excessive alcohol consumption as a “major contributor” to child growth stunting in his 2026 State of the Nation address.

Read more at Daily Maverick: Ramaphosa doubles target to end child stunting by 2030

The President committed to calling on provincial governments to strengthen alcohol regulation through measures such as limiting the density of liquor stores and limiting trading hours. He said the national government would propose strategies to prevent excessive alcohol use.

fight for funding

When Farr was founded in 1997, it was first and foremost a research organisation, focusing its investigations on areas of the Western Cape. Over time, its operations not only expanded to other provinces – Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape – but also included awareness, prevention and management strategies.

Ollivier said that when she came on board in 2005, she felt morally obligated to provide not only research, but active intervention.

“Over the past few years, we have completed 25 community projects in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and Gauteng,” he said.

“During the last few years, we have 16 community centers and community projects running. So, once we do research in an area and identify the prevalence rate, we start doing awareness (and) prevention there, and we appoint people from that community to work in our centres.”

The organization also set up a training academy for professionals involved in the fight against FASD, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians and social workers.

However, Farr has found it difficult to secure funding, especially for his research projects.

“Last year, we had to make a decision about whether we should leave the research part out, or reduce it. (…) Because we use research results to develop our evidence-based intervention programs, research is extremely important to us,” said Ollivier.

“The board then decided that perhaps it was time to close it down because over the years, we have published the work that we have done, and to date, we have published 75 peer (-reviewed) journal articles in international journals. That is quite a lot, especially for an NGO.”

Since the decision to shut down Faro was taken in April 2025, the organization has been gradually winding down its community initiatives. The final four projects will close at the end of March 2026, with the organization officially closing in May.

According to Olivier, the reality is that there are few organizations that provide funding for this type of research. This, combined with factors such as uncertainty about the rand and geopolitical concerns, has made it difficult for funders to commit to long-term support.

Maurice Smithers, official of Working for an Alcohol-Safer South Africa, said it is very challenging for organizations in the alcohol harm reduction sector to obtain funding, due to the limited number of stakeholders working in the field.

They also noted the limited understanding of FASD and their harm in wider society.

“I think across society, generally, most people don't even know what it is, and don't even know how serious it is in terms of the impact it has on babies born with FASD and the permanent damage it can cause. (…) You would think that, especially with a sensitive issue like pregnancy and babies, it would be taken more seriously,” he said.

gap filling

The gap left by Farr's closure will be difficult to fill – a reality that Ollivier described as “heartbreaking” for those who have been part of the organization. She was particularly concerned about the void that would be left when it came to research and FASD diagnostic services.

Ollivier said Farr is the only NGO currently equipped to provide FASD diagnosis in South Africa. The complex process has three levels:

• A medical examination by a person trained in FASD dysmorphology and how to identify it;
• An in-depth interview with the biological mother to rule out any other prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal event that may have caused damage to the baby's brain; And
• A psychological testing battery that the child needs to complete to rule out other conditions that could be confused with FASD.

“From an alcohol harm reduction perspective, (Farr) is a much-needed public health institution,” said Kashifa Ensor, campaign lead for Rethink Your Drink, an alcohol-related harm reduction campaign within the DG Murray Trust. He said, “She has really pioneered the research and our understanding of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in South Africa. Without Farr, we would not have known what FASD looks like in our country.”

“It was a really surprising approach, because they were really saying that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is not a problem of any one mother or her family, but it's really a community issue.”

Ensor noted that Farr “created space for communities”, providing programs that would allow mothers to go to prenatal support. These services were extended to everyone in the communities, not just those at risk of having a child with FASD.

“It was a really surprising approach, because they were really saying that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is not a problem of any one mother or her family, but it's really a community issue,” she said.

“They really took away the shame of FASD in the communities that they work in and really opened the door for so many people to get help, get education, (and) create a sense of community and connection.”

Dr Charles Parry, Chief Specialist Scientist at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and former Director of the Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit, said the leadership of Olivier and his team at Farr deserves national recognition.

“Although I did not always agree with the funding Farr received from the alcohol industry, its closure is a profound loss to South Africa, the country with the highest levels of alcohol-affected pregnancies globally. Farr's reach into communities across many provinces, its delivery of essential services and its contribution to research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders were substantial. That such an organization has been forced to close due to lack of funding is obviously tragic,” he said.

According to Smithers, while other organizations, such as SAMRC, will continue to research FASD, the loss of Farr is challenging because it is the only organization that focuses exclusively on this issue.

limited government intervention

According to Olivier, part of the problem when it comes to tackling FASD is the government's lack of interest in prioritizing the issue. He highlighted the dire need for prevention services in the departments of health, education and social development in South Africa.

Ollivier acknowledged that there were some programs in departments of health and social development that addressed maternal substance use, but argued that these often lacked a focus on FASD or the concrete support needed to succeed.

“We have a huge lack of services in our country because (FASD) is not really formally acknowledged as a problem.”

“I know there are a lot of challenges, but the reality is that we are sitting with this absolutely huge problem that is affecting not just the individual, but their entire family, and often the person affected by FASD cannot function fully independently,” she said.

“We have a huge lack of services in our country because (FASD) is not really formally acknowledged as a problem.”

Ensor said there would be a need to push for a more robust public policy regarding alcohol-related harms in the wake of Farr's closure, adding that it was clear that monitoring and tackling FASD could not be done solely within civil society or the private sector.

“I think we need to look closely and say, 'What can we do from a public policy perspective to order coordinated action to reduce alcohol-related harm?', so if an organization, a research institution is no longer able to continue its work, there's no need to fill those gaps,” she said.

When Daily Maverick contacted the Department of Social Development about Farr's closure, spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said its closure would deprive the social development sector of important recent research on the effects of alcohol on women's health.

Godlwana said, “The potential closure of Farr, similar to the challenges faced by other welfare organizations, will impact the specialized services provided by these organizations, particularly in FASD research and advocacy. As the Department relies on external research institutions for current data to inform evidence-based interventions, we recognize the importance of these contributions. If needed, the Department will explore alternative avenues to ensure the continued acquisition of essential data.” DM

Tamsin Mettelerkamp is a children's reporter at the Daily Maverick. The creation of this role was made possible with the support of the DG Murray Trust.