Women and Children Development Organization (WCDO) is an indigenous, non-governmental and non-for profit humanitarian organization established in 1995 by Ethiopian volunteers who were concerned about the devastating economic and social situation of the country caused by man-made and natural calamities. It is an organization that can work in the country in the areas that concern woman, children and marginalized communities.

Vision

wcdo wishes to see poverty-alleviated prosperous Ethiopia.

Mission

wcdo is dedicated to serve and bring about sustainable development changes, particularly in the livelihood of women, children and that of the poor communities at large in the Addis Ababa City Administration , Oromia Tigray, Benishangul Gumez and the Southern Nations through integrated community development programmes and poverty reduction strategies with maximum participation of stakeholders.

Values

People-centeredness, fairness and equity, morality and ethical integrity, transparency, accountability, good governance, independence, environmental consciousness.

Legal Status

The Ministry of Justice with Registration No. 0173 has legally registered wcdo. It has signed a general agreement with the Federal Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC). Moreover it has successively signed project agreements with the Civil and Social Affairs Bureau of the Addis Ababa.

Organizational Structure

wcdo has a functional organizational structure. The General Assembly is the highest governing body. The second highest governing body is the Board of Directors. The Executive Director, who is assigned by the Board of Directors, is responsible for the implementation and management activities of the Organization. There are two departments, namely, Programming and Administration and Finance as well as two Project Coordination Offices in the operational areas of the Addis Ababa City Administration. The departments and the branch offices are accountable to the Executive Director.

Future Plan

The organization has finalized its plan to operate in Oromia & Benishangul.

Philosophies that underpin the organization

• wcdo respects the unique and inherent worth of all individuals;
• wcdo is an organization that has no religious and political affiliation;
• wcdo has moral and ethical integrity;
• wcdo is people-centred;
• wcdo believes in fairness and equity;
• wcdo believes in good governance;
• wcdo works in transparency and accountability to stakeholders;
• wcdo believes in independence;
• wcdo believes in communication and collaboration
• wcdo is environmentally conscious;
• wcdo believes in community managed sustainable and impact-oriented development;

Organization’s Lead Strategies to Execute Programmes

• Phased Approach- Entry to different regions phase by phase
• Integration of programmatic interventions
• Working with and through existing structures, intermediaries and diverse partners
• Networking
• Prime Participation and Involvement
• Piloting, Documentation and Scale Up 

Staffs and Gender Sensitivity

Totally the organization employed eight staffs (Five Male and 3 Female) staffs. Of whom the five are programme and three are supportive staffs. It seems the organization is gender sensitive with framed gender policy.

Target Groups of the organization

The organization priorities included in the project are children, pro –poor illiterate women, vulnerable youth and community living in remote locations.
The priority was set out because they are the prime victim of man made and natural variables. With its past achievements the organization had addressed 23,423 individuals ( 74 % Female and 26 % male ) and now a days a program intended to benefit 63,000 ( 70 % Female and 30 % Male) individuals from 2009 to 2013 GC in its operational areas.