NAGAAD UMBRELLA ORGANISAATION
HARGEISA-SOMALILAND Nagaad Address:Badacas, Koodbur, Hargeisa
C/O DAHABSHIIL HARGEISA P.O.BOX 4630 Dubai
Phone: 252 213 4692/252 2 427496/252 2 527317
Fax: 252 213 4501/4416
Email: [email protected]/[email protected]
Website:www.nagaad.org

I. BACKGROUND

Nagaad works for empowering women to realize sustainable development. It strives to address two key goals that are of concern to its members.

1. Advancing the economic, social and political status of women in Somaliland.

2. Strengthening the capacity of its members to implement effective projects that facilitate the realization of the first goal.

Women's rights are human rights and since all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependant and inter-related, their full and equal enjoyment by women and girls is a priority and is essential for the advancement of women.

Somaliland women obviously share many problems with their male fellow citizens especially in this post-war era, but they also differ on a number of issues.

Women's specific concerns are shaped by their social roles as daughters, wives and mothers, by the economic positions and obligations which they have within the family and the community and by prevailing cultural conceptualization of gender roles.

The issue of women's rights in Somaliland is however deeply rooted in the realms of culture and religion. Gender discrimination is part and parcel of culture. Cultural beliefs in male superiority and greater ability to lead socialize, females to accept subordinate positions. From earlier age, boy, children are socialized into roles, which prepare them to exercise power in the family over women, younger children and productive resources.

Girls on the other hand, are socialized into roles, which do not prepare them for power and decision-making over other people or resources in either the public or private spheres.

Women rights are one of the areas of concern of Nagaad that has been in fact difficult to implement because of the cultural barriers.

Nevertheless, Nagaad has since its establishment been campaigning to create an awareness on women's rights on issues such as their participation in the decision-making process of the country.

The participation of women in the decision-making at all levels of public and private life is important as an issue of human rights as well as for the strengthening of the democratic process of this post-war period.

Women's wish to be included in decision-making is more than a simple demand for numerical representation proportional to their presence in the society. It is a demand based on the fact that institutions governed by men are unlikely to reflect the specific interest and views of the female population, instead, they would reinforce the marginalized position of women in the society.

In this post war situation however women are the majority of the population. Meanwhile women have been preparing themselves for this event. Nagaad has been implementing the last three-year a programme on the empowerment of women in the decision-making process of the country.

Nagaad with the help of its partners namely the HBF, NOVIB and NED are working on a national political agenda for women consisting of: capacity building initiatives for political empowerment of women (negotiation, lobbying and management of electoral campaigns techniques); meeting with political parties for the investiture of women as heads of the electoral lists and to promote their access to the decision-making positions within the political parties; strategic alliance with associations involved in the promotion of the status of women (business community and pressure groups).

II. ABOUT NAGAAD UMBRELLA OGANIZTION

Nagaad umbrella organization is a non-profit making, non-sectarian and voluntary local umbrella organization embraced by 32 women organizations in 1997, in Hargeisa.

Vision Statement: Nagaad umbrella organization strives for a world based on gender quality and equity, which ensures equal treatment, participation of women, and equitable access to control benefits and resources at all levels. The focus of Nagaad is to make one voice for women.

Mission Statement: Nagaad umbrella organization is a local umbrella oriented towards the development of women. Ever since it was founded in 1997, Nagaad has its objectives to empower women socially, economically and politically at all levels.

Goals: in realizing its vision and mission:

1. Nagaad strives to address 2 key goals that are of concern to its members, other women NGOs in all the regions and districts as well as the whole women community in Somaliland.
2. Empowering and advancing of women's economical, social and political status in Somaliland.
3. To create and establish good effective communication and networking both internally and externally with other women NGOs, groups and the whole women community.

4. To enhance the knowledge and the capacity of the women NGOs through providing of capacity building for women organizations and organize them their efforts.

Structure

Nagaad has an organizational structure, which consists of the following:-

2. Board of Directors
3. Hired Staff composed of Executive Director, Program Officer, Women in Decision making Officer, Coordinator of Environment Network, Administrator/Accountant, Cashier, Driver and Subordinates staff.

III. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING 2003

Upon the establishment of Nagaad Umbrella, long and short-term objectives have been set out for the organization as well as annual operational plan that encompassing the activities that need to be carried out for achieving the organizational objectives.

In depth, Nagaad activities are directed to the provision of the capacity building for its 32 member organizations to carry out and implement effective projects for the Somaliland community.

Nagaad also advocates for the promotion of women's rights politically, economically and socially in Somaliland through public awareness raising by using publications, brochures, posters, newspaper articles, radio and TV programs, Press conferences, networking conferences, workshops, trainings and Seminars.

Nagaad umbrella is actively involved on supporting the peace building and stability of the country.

Therefore, in this year 2003 Nagaad has carried out and implemented the following activities:

A) CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE 32 MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS OF NAGAAD

In the year 2003, Nagaad Umbrella carried out 4 training workshops for capacity building of the member organizations and 3 training workshops for Nagaad's staff as capacity building include:

1. Capacity Building for Nagaad and its 32 members.

1. Resources Mobilization and management
2. Gender Development and Analysis
3. Strategic Planning
4. Rights Based Programming
5. Training of Trainers for the Capacity Building of the LNGOs
6. Establishing Strong Co-operation Linkages Among the Development Players in Somaliland

Nagaad Umbrella organized a 4 Development Dialogue Workshop for the development players in Somaliland (INGOs, UN, Government Ministries, and LNGOs/CBOs) to improve relationships, coordination and collaborations linkages.

B) HUMAN RIGHTS/WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
1. Political literacy and Voter Education and Election Procedures
2. Women's political participation for the eastern regions.
3. Women's political participation for the western regions
4. Human rights follow-up
5. Workshop on convention of elimination of all forms discrimination against women (CEDAW)

6. Women office workers involving politics

i. Nagaad's National Political Forum For Women In Somaliland

- In the year 2003, Nagaad umbrella organization supported strengthening and running national political forum for women in Somaliland to advocate women's rights for political participation.
- Three quarterly Meetings of the Women's Political Forum Committee.
- Mobilization awareness campaign.
- Conference meeting on possibilities for women to participate the next coming parliament.
- Political campaigning and advocacy workshop.

i. Advocacy of Women's Rights

1. Radio program throughout the year for women's rights, roles and responsibilities in the society.
2. Newspaper Articles for women's rights, roles and responsibilities in the society.
3. Violence Against Women (Identification types of violence against women in Somaliland)
4. 8th March Celebrations

C) PEACE BUILDING

During the year 2003, Nagaad has organized and implemented activities for supporting and strengthening sustainable peace in Somaliland.

i. Small arms control awareness raising by producing brochures, stickers and leaflets.

D) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NETWORK PROGRAM WORKSHOPS

1. Building Vibrant and Effective Environmental Organizations Workshop
2. Building and Promoting Sustainable livelihoods part 1
3. Building and Promoting Sustainable livelihoods part 2
4. Building and Promoting Sustainable livelihoods part 3
5. Environmental Research and Monitoring and evaluation.

IV. SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES PARTICIPATED BY NAGAAD.

i. International/Regional

1. Strategic Initiative for women in of Horn of Africa (SIHA) Board of Directors Meeting held by in Khartum, Sudan
2. African Democracy Forum held in South Africa.
3. Leadership Workshop held in Ethiopia organized by Oxfam Canada.
4. Conceptual Gender Training Workshop held in Nairobi Organized by NOVIB.
5. Gender Encounter Workshop held in Sudan organized by Oxfam Canada.
6. Training of Trauma Counseler held in Merca/Somalia.
7. Programme Management and financial training held in Nairobi organized by HBF.
8. Human Rights defenders workshop held in Bosaso/Somalia sponsored by NOVIB.

ii. Inside the country

1. Financial Management and reporting guidelines by Care int.
2. Rights based programming.
3. Youth unemployment
4. Proposal design and development
5. CPC monthly meetings
6. Fundraising workshop (PENHA)

V. OTHER ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY NAGAAD

i. Advocacy for the Local Government Elections of Somaliland

1. Civic education workshop on the election process, which was held at the Regional/Districts Officers and Regional/Districts Electoral Officers.
2. Pre-election mobilization of the community for registration in the polling stations.
3. Identification and trainings for domestic observers for the presidential elections
4. Observation of the polling stations on behalf of civil society in the presidential election day of Somaliland.
5. Monitoring of the polling stations in the Presidential Election Day throughout the regions.

ii. Establishment of Sectoral Networks

Nagaad has recently established internal networks within its member organizations according to the Sectoral activities that they focused on, such as;

1. Education Network which is composed of 16 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs are actively involved in Informal Education Sector).
2. Food Security Network, which is composed of 5member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs are actively involved in Agriculture Sector).
3. Environmental Conservation Network, which is composed of 16 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs, are actively involved in Environmental Conservation/Protection Sector).
4. Human Rights Network, which is composed of 22 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs, are actively involved in Human Rights Sector).
5. Income/employment Generation Network, which is composed of 24 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs, who actively involved in Income/employment generation Sector).
6. Health Network, which is composed of 12 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs, are actively involved in Health Sector).
7. Research Network, which is composed of 2 member organizations of Nagaad (those NGOs, are actively involved in Research Sector).

VI. INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS FOR NAGAAD UMBRELLA

Nagaad implements different project, which are supported by deferent donors, such as: -

1. NOVIB Three- years project on women empowerment and capacity building
2. HBF-Three years Project on Gender Development
3. HBF- Three years Project on Environmental Conservation and Protection
4. NED-One-year political participation for women
5. Care International six months pilot project on capacity building for 25 member organization
6. ISF - Political participation for women especially Nagaad Political Forum for women.
7. UNIFEM
8. UNDP
9. ICD
10. UNICEF

VII. NETWORKING

a) Local Networking

Nagaad has networks with many local umbrella in Somaliland as the following Regions Umbrellas (Kulmis Togdher Region, Kulmiye Awdal Region, Hooyo Sanaag region, PPP Sahil Region, AAIN Awdal Region, COSONGO Galbed Region, and Deeqa Galbed Region).

b) External (Regional Network)

Nagaad is a member of SIHA (Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa) composed of seven countries Eritrea, Djibouti, South Sudan, North Sudan Somalia, Ethiopia, and Somaliland.