The Agricultural and Rural Development Organization (ARDO)
is a local voluntary Organization founded in 1993 by a
group of intellectuals of different specialist and community
elders. Its headquarters is in the district town of Gabiley
and has also branches offices in Borama, Hargeisa and Djibouti.
ARDO was founded to support the war displaced farmer communities
and to resettle them firmly mainly those families headed by
female. ARDO's programs are directed in the reconstruction of
the ruined economic infrastructure, reinitiate the stagnate
economic activities, education and health.
Since its establishment, ARDO has implemented different projects
throughout the country, with a funding source from local
communities,UN and LNGOs, local authorities and the centre
government are also received more collaboration.
ARDO encourages the cooperation co-working among LNGOs towards
achieving self-sustainable economic growth of the country.
ARDO is now focal point for food security at national level.
ARDO-LNGO is committed to primarily promote reintegration of
the returnee population of Somaliland through empowerment and
provision of capitol inputs,construction/rehabilitation of
infrastructure, communicate mobilization/awareness and environment
protection services. The purpose is to improve the quality of live
of the target communities, especially in the regions of Hargeisa
and Awdal to enhance the reintegration of the returnee through
food security and provision of employable skills, clean & safe
drinking water and improvement of infrastructure.
To successfully achieve the above-mentioned goals, the following
key issues will be given priorities:
1.. Increase food production
2.. Infrastructure development.
3.. Women empowerment
4.. Livestock development and
5.. Institutional capacity building.
LEGAL PERSONALITY OF ARDO-LNGO
ARDO-LNGO has qualified expatriate Somali experts who share in
a common sense about the presence and future works of community
empowerment and development through full participation and
prioritising their needs.
VISION
ARDO-LNGO commits to lead and transform the people of Somaliland
toward a sustainable economic development, peace and stability.
MISION
ARDO-LNGO shall endeavour to create new better opportunities for
urban as well as rural communities in order to achieve
self-employment and increased locally produced products in the
areas of agriculture, livestock, small business enterprises and
environment protection activities. We facilitate lasting change by:
a.. Strengthening capacity of the civil society for self-help
b.. Providing income opportunity for dependents
c.. Influencing community decision making processes at all levels
d.. Terminating discrimination in all of its forms
CORE VALUE
Guided by the aspirations of the communities we serve, we pursue
our mission with both excellence and integrity. As a development
organization, we do implement activities that assist families
and communities to cope with complex emergencies and to achieve
self-sufficiency in their daily lives in the respect of the
rights of all groups. In other words, our core values comprise
of the following components:
RESPECT: We affirm dignity, potential and contribution of
the donors,partners, participants and staff.
COMMITMENT: We stand on effectively support the largest number
of the needy community with the available resources.
EXCELLENCE: Based on the field experiences and lessons learned
from years in operation, we do perform activities
that achieve the greatest possible impact.
INTEGRITY: We confirm strictly that ARDO`s mission being
implemented in trustful and transparent way
in all its levels. ARDO accepts responsibility
for all actions carried out collectively or
individually by ARDO`s member staff.
WHAT WE DO Dib U laabo
Since 19992, in Somaliland territory the role of the government
institutions and resources have totally disappeared and
consequently the socio-economic development of the rural as
well as urban people in the areas of human, water, education,
agriculture, and social services have been stocked.
In view of the above non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
have began to work in the country to complement the
governments position.
It was in this regard that the professionals are elders
within an outside the district of Gabilay registered ARDO
as an NGO in 1993 to accomplish the efforts in
development in the district.
Since its inception, ARDO has raised funds from the grass
root communities in Gabilay district to initiate
community-based programs. Because there are no effective
NGOs in the district, the funds have been utilized in a
variety of areas some of these are:
1.. Improve small irrigation farmer communities to
increase their production capacities.
2.. Reclamation of the cultivable rainfed farming
land that has not been used for year in exile.
3.. Rehabilitation of human and livestock water
points and construction of Sand Dams for water
and soil conservation.
4.. Improving of animal productivity and health
conditions.
5.. Other social and economic sectors.
Given the high cost of the project that ARDO has had to
support, it became imperative for ARDO to seek other
sources of funding to boost the implementation of programs.
ARDO pursuits of funding resulted in the signing two
partnership agreements with CARE International in February
2001(in 3 years) and Sept 2001(in two years period).
The signing of these partnership agreements are a
milestone in ARDO's history as a leading local
organization undertaking district-wide operations
a vital element in agro pastoral activities. The final
goal of the first agreement is to improve food security
for the small scale irrigation farmers living in the
district and to strengthen linkages between civil
society organizations while the second agreement is
to directed to promote reintegration of rural
returnees community through participatory methods to
achieve improved food security increase returnees
income, improved water resources and peace building.
For ARDO to remain focused and consequently be
sustainable, there has been need to define its core
business. This was achieved through strategic planning
workshop of ARDO's primary stakeholders; the board,
staff, NGO, partners, government and benefiting
communities. The workshop out put a five-year
strategic plan aims at ARDO facilitating the
improvement of the agro pastoral community
qualification of life.
BRIEF REPORT ON THE PREVIOUS PROJECTS Dib U laabo
ARDO-LNGO has successfully implemented five sub-projects
under the U.S funded programs of CSEP and IRFS in
partnership with CARE INTERNATIONAL during 2000 to 2003
in different sites of Hargeisa region of Somaliland.
Our projects were mainly targeting to remote rural
areas that have high incidents of food security,
unemployment and rural to urban migration and where
resources for assistance are scant. There were totally
no employment opportunities to support farming or
livestock raising production which could have not been
realized without reclamation of cultivable land,
rehabilitate water points, irrigation systems and
empower/mobilize local resources. There fore, there were
a need to create short-term employment opportunities by a
large pool of unskilled labour and encourage intensive
local technology as well as strengthening linkages and
collaboration between local stakeholders.
MAJOR PROJECTS INTERVENTIONS
In order to address the most acute problems faced by the
returnees rural communities in the target areas,
ARDO-LNGO has carried out the following activities.
1- WATER: -
Rehabilitation of destroyed or malfunctioned water
resources for human and livestock consumption and
agriculture by improving/rehabilitating of
traditional communal shallow wells and earth Dams
to provide sufficient drinking/irrigation water,
construction of sand/sub-surface dams for water
and soil conservation against dry seasons and
erratic rainfall and rebuilding, improving and
extending irrigation systems.
2- LIVESTOCK
Establishment of animal health service systems in
the target areas that stands on its own by training
of mobile( Community Animal Health Workers) CAHW's
in best use of vet Drugs, control of common diseases
and proper management of stocking facilities and
provision of essential vet equipments.
3- FARM LAND: -
Controlling or arresting serious erosion of cultivable
land, reclamation of arable land that has been covered
by bushes after years of neglect. Projects has also
created start-up capital for the target returnees to
restock herds in good conditions, restore farm equipment
and tools and resumes better living standards to
substantially reduce the potential for dependency on
external assistance.
4- COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT: -
Support to communities in skill training to strengthen
knowledge or access to irrigation, farm management/
marketing skills and leadership to the beneficiaries.
It has also established strong village management units
in the target areas that can contribute to good
governance, peace building and involvement of all
stages of community development plans.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS MADE
During the three years partnership program with CARE
international, ARDO-LNGO has implemented five projects
that, through careful and collaborative implementation
strategy with target communities, civil authorities and
other stakeholders,contributed to the welfare and
development of Somaliland in general and the target
areas in particular. Specific achievements included
but not limited to the following:
1- The projects have contributed to the high level of
agricultural and livestock production and encouraged
the economic growth of poor communities or returnees
in the target areas.
2- The immediate short term and long term food security
is achieved through cash payment from the employment
opportunities or the rehabilitation of pastoral and
agricultural infrastructure.
3- The livelihood status of rural women especially those
who headed households is enhanced by respecting their
right to participate the community development
initiatives. It has also ensured rights for tribal
minorities and the marginalized groups.
4- Local committees in the target communities were
organised and mobilized self-sufficiency,
Peace-building and maintain stability of the
target areas in particular and in the whole
country in general.
