Women Advocacy and Agricultural Development Organization (WAADO) is a local community based advocacy group in the Waterloo community, Sierra Leone, working for women’s economic empowerment, girl child education, sexual gender based violence, peacebuilding and adult education. WAADO is a member of various coalitions and networks in the district and at the national level, and it works as an implementing partner with a number of national and international NGOs.
WAADO exists to engage and empower women, children and youth regarding their rights and responsibilities so as to become self-reliant and useful to the development of society. It focuses on development issues such as access to and utilisation of health services, social services and justice systems, a complete education, agro-business and peacebuilding.
WAADO works in a number of thematic areas, specfically women and children's rights protection and education, gender equality and economic empowerment, health, social care, good governance, human rights advocacy, and agro-business.
Key objectives
- To improve on the health and social status of women and children
- To provide clinical services for victims of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV)
- To advocate on issues of SGBV of women and children
- To promote and encourage quality education for children
- To ensure community awareness and ownership of educational processes and frameworks
- To enhance agricultural practices (provide women farmers with adequate tools and knowledge) for sustainable development
- To promote peacebuilding within the communities
Implemented Activities
- WAADO is working on capacity building trainings such as public lectures on different topics on a monthly basis.
- Radio Advocacy: WAADO hosts a live weekly Radio program titled WAADO hour. The program is moderated by WAADO and the panelists of the program are from various institutions and all walks of life.
- Awareness Raising: In 2007 WAADO conducted a two days training for 100 women and young people to raise their awareness on HIV/AIDs. This was supported by the district council.
- Alternate Livelihoods: In 2011 to 2012, WAADO conducted skills training for sixty women and thirty-five youths on soap making, tailoring catering, and other skills, after which start up kits were given to them. This was supported by INGO Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH).
- In 2012 to 2013 WAADO conducted two trainings on skills for commercial sex workers within Waterloo community and surrounding areas, and they were given start up kits. These were supported by Society for Women and Aids in Africa Sierra Leone Chapter (SWASL).
- In May 2014 WAADO commemorated the international day of action for women’s health, during which 100 women were brought together across the district on a platform referred to a safe space, 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 ELIMINATION 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 home within the district with support from WHH.