Australian Afghanistan Development Organisation (AADO)

VISION

AADO’s Vision is for stronger, self-supporting families and their communities in Afghanistan

MISSION STATEMENT

The Afghan Australian Development Organisation is a voluntary, non-profit, non-government, member organisation. Its primary purpose is to implement projects that assist in the reconstruction and sustainable development of communities within Afghanistan. Within Australia, AADO seeks to support the Afghan community.

ORGANISATION BACKGROUND

AADO was established with the aim of providing community development and emergency assistance to impoverished communities in Afghanistan. This happened in 2002 through the initiative of Dr Nouria Salehi, OAM, AADO Executive Director and an Afghan-Australian, following many years of privately assisting Afghans to settle in Australia and raising funds to help individuals and families in Afghanistan. In recent years, AADO’s main priority has been to deliver projects that assist with the sustainable development of communities within Afghanistan. In 2007 the AADO Directorate established an In-Country office, AADO Afghanistan, staffed solely with national staff. The establishment of the In-Country Office strengthened relationships with local communities, enabling them to be more effective in identifying their needs and problems.

With an elected Committee of Management, AADO is registered as an Incorporated Association in Victoria, Australia. AADO is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the Council’s Code of Conduct. This defines minimum standards of governance, management, financial control and reporting with which Australian non-government development organisations are required to comply. AADO Afghanistan (In-Country Office) is registered as a not-for-profit , non-government organisation (NGO) with the Ministry of Economy in Afghanistan.

In Australia, AADO seeks to support newly arrived Afghan refugees and immigrants, as well as Afghan-Australian communities. It also raises awareness about the humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan and advocates for just refugee policies. In Afghanistan, AADO supports opportunities for Afghan people to access education and vocational training to advance sustainable livelihoods and to improve and build stronger, healthier communities.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

In the last nine years, AADO has implemented projects in Kabul, Herat and Parwan Provinces in Afghanistan, providing basic literacy, numeracy, health and vocational training to women in rural villages, as well as training to trade level for young men as carpenters, and in-service teacher training and resources for educational institutions. In July 2011, current and fully operational AADO projects in Afghanistan include:

Science Teacher Training

Improving the quality of teaching practice is central to Afghanistan’s efforts to rebuild a quality education system. Since 2007, AADO’s specialised in-service Science Teacher Training program has enabled 993 secondary science and mathematics teachers to extend their skills in theoretical and practical curriculums in order to meet the national standard established by the Ministry of Education. With an average teacher to pupil ratio of 1:83, this means that approximately 82,000 senior secondary students have indirectly benefited from AADO’s program.

Life Skills Training

In rural Afghanistan today, where approximately three-quarters of the population live, an estimated 90% of women cannot read, write or do simple calculation. Since 2005 AADO’s Life Skills program for rural women, 450 women and girls have learnt to read and write, attaining skills in basic literacy, numeracy, health, hygiene, dressmaking and tailoring over a 12 month period. They then pass on these skills to benefit others in their family and community. At any given time AADO in collaboration with its local implementing partners, is building the capacity of 100-200 rural and women and girls.

Carpentry Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET)

A lack of higher education and vocational skills means that thousands of young men in Afghanistan have to work to support themselves and their families through mainly dangerous or exploitative labour that damages their health, affects their development and denies them access to education. Through AADO’s TVET program, 21 young men have successfully completed their 12 month intensive training, graduating at trade level as carpenters and attaining immediate and on-going employment with local businesses. All of these young men have are breadwinners for their families.

AADO Afghanistan Capacity Building

AADO’s long experience in delivering programs has strongly defined the importance of having skilled and trusted local staff, and project management teams, in Kabul which are capable of delivering and monitoring AADO’s projects at ground level. Strategies are now being implemented to instil an expanding ‘culture of learning’ to support the training and development of local staff. The first part of the program has been completed with the Senior Project Manager in Kabul having been able to travel to Australia to spend time with four leading NGOs which between them provided in-service training. This covered areas such as project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, and financial reporting. Steps are also under way to incorporate the increased knowledge and skills from this visit into professional development for the other Kabul staff.

To support these programs, AADO received sponsorship within Australia from The Portland House Foundation, Snowy Mountains Electricity Commission Foundation, The Asia Foundation, Cabrini Health, Melbourne Community Foundation, the Planet Wheeler Foundation, Riding for Afghanistan, as well as ongoing donations from concerned individuals in Australia. AADO has also benefited from the Direct Aid Program through the Australian Embassy in Afghanistan, and from other countries including the Deutsche Afghan Initiative and the French Embassy in Kabul. AADO is recognised as an agency that works successfully with communities fractured by war and instability. In doing this, AADO has had to continuously evolve and adapt to the changing external environment in Afghanistan. This has enabled the organisation to remain creative and flexible in responding to needs as they arise.

PRINCIPLES GUIDING AADO ACTIVITY

AADO shares the values and principles that underwrite the ACFID Code of Conduct.
The work of AADO is guided by the principle that education is one of the key cornerstones in ensuring poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Its major focus is the creation and delivery of formal and non-formal educational and training opportunities for the many Afghan people who are disadvantaged.
All AADO programs are identified and developed through consultation and trusting relationships with, and endorsed by, Afghan regional and provincial chiefs and town and village elders, also relevant government ministries.
Recognition of Afghan culture and traditions is integral to the design and delivery of AADO’s programs.
Project and program management is conducted within a rigorous framework which aims to ensure feasibility of design, implementation, evaluation and accountability.
AADO is committed to routine reviews and updates to systems, policies and procedures to strengthen its governance and realise its mission.
Program design must ensure that participants’ skills become self-sustaining and foster the sharing of knowledge and self-education within the wider community.

AADO delivers its programs through closely-knit networks and does not pay bribes. Information and infrastructure are delivered in ways that are useful across networks. Through employing the ‘Most Significant Change Technique’ as one model for evaluation, AADO has collated an extensive database of stories of change that underscore the often unexpected impacts and successes arising from these interventions.

AADO has put mechanisms in place to make collaboration easy and to promote local ownership of projects. What is learnt from outcomes also strengthens AADO’s programs.

The success of AADO’s efforts can be found in quiet but powerful stories that demonstrate they really work in strengthening the capabilities of many people to change their lives and bring about change within their communities.