Women Advocacy and Agricultural Development Organization (WAADO) is a local community-based advocacy group in western Sierra Leone, working on women’s economic empowerment, girl's education, sexual and gender-based violence, peacebuilding, and adult education.
WAADO exists to engage women, children and young people as partners with relevant networks. The organisation aims to empower women, children and young people in their rights and responsibilities so as to become self-reliant and useful in society.
WAADO is a member of various coalitions and networks in the district and at national level. WAADO also serves as an implementing partner with national and international NGOs.
The organisations works in the following thematic areas:
- Women and children’s right protection and education
- Gender equality and economic empowerment
- Health, social care, governance and human rights advocacy
- Agro-business
WAADO has been featured in Sierra Leonean newspapers such as the Standard Times, Awoko, Awareness Time, and on community radio.
Activities
Radio Advocacy
WAADO hosts a live weekly radio programme called WAADO hour. The programme is moderated by WAADO, with panellists various institutions and backgrounds.
Awareness raising
In 2007 WAADO conducted two days training for 100 women and young people to raise their awareness on HIV/AIDs and it was supported by the district council.
Alternate livelihoods
In 2011 to 2012, WAADO conducted six months of skills training for sixty women and thirty five youth forest encroachers on gara tie dyeing and batik, soap making, tailoring and catering after which start-up kits were given to them. This was supported by Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH).
In 2012 to 2013 WAADO conducted training on skills for commercial sex workers within Waterloo Community. These were supported by Society for Women and Aids in Africa Sierra Leone chapter (SWASL).
In 2012 WAADO commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD).
In 2013 WAADO conducted a two day training for rural women from the fourteen districts of Sierra Leone to raise their awareness on reproductive health rights and other health issues. At the end of the training women champions were established in the fourteen districts to raise the awareness of other women at district level with support from Ipas Sierra Leone.
In May 2014 WAADO commemorated the international day of action for women’s health, wherein 100 women were brought together across the district on a platform for them to look into their issues of health, especially reproductive health rights. This was supported by Ipas Sierra Leone.
International conferences
In 2014 February, WAADO was supported by Ipas to participate in the Convention on the Elemination of all Forms of Discrimination (CEDAW) conference in Geneva Switzerland.
In May 2015 WAADO was supported by WHH to participate in the G7 activities in Munich Germany
Response to Ebola.
WAADO led the Western Area Rural District Civil Society Ebola Task Force to complement the effort of the government in the fight against Ebola in the district.
WAADO also took the lead in giving food to quarantined homes within the district with support from WHH.
