what we do

Education program The Education Program of Pro Poor Ethiopian Development Organization (PeDO) is designed to improve access to quality education and create better learning opportunities for vulnerable children, youth, and adults. The program provides essential educational support materials such as school uniforms, bags, exercise books, and other learning materials to disadvantaged students in order to encourage school enrollment, attendance, and academic performance. PeDO also offers scholarship support to university students through financial assistance, enabling students from poor families to continue their higher education and achieve their academic goals. For young people who are unable to join university education, the organization facilitates vocational and technical skills training to help them develop employable skills and become self-reliant. In addition to supporting children and youth, PeDO promotes functional adult literacy programs for illiterate adults, helping them acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills that improve their daily lives and participation in society. The organization also strengthens the capacity of schools by providing need-based training for teachers to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Furthermore, PeDO contributes to creating safe and child-friendly school environments through the construction of school latrines and mini-media facilities. To encourage student participation and personal development, the organization supports extracurricular activities by establishing school mini-media clubs, gender clubs, and HIV/AIDS awareness clubs. Through these comprehensive educational interventions, PeDO works to empower individuals and communities through education and skills development.

Empowering Community based structures Empowering Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) is one of the key intervention areas of PeDO to ensure sustainability and long-term community ownership of development initiatives. The program focuses on strengthening local structures through community resource mobilization and active participation of local stakeholders. To enhance coordination and sustainability, PeDO establishes Community Care Coalitions (CCC) at community level, bringing together local leaders, youth groups, women associations, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), elders, and other community representatives. Through this program, PeDO provides capacity-building trainings, awareness creation sessions, and technical support to improve the organizational, leadership, and management skills of local CBOs. The organization also supports these groups through the provision of essential materials and equipment that enable them to effectively carry out their social and economic activities. Special attention is given to empowering youth centers, women associations, PWD groups, and elders’ associations to actively participate in community development, peacebuilding, social support, and livelihood improvement activities. By empowering local institutions and promoting local resource mobilization, PeDO aims to create self-reliant and resilient communities capable of addressing their own challenges and sustaining development efforts for the future.

Health program PEDO Health Program is actively engaged in the prevention of maternal and child mortality rates through research-based campaigns, seminars, and workshops conducted for partners and health professionals. The program focuses on improving the knowledge and skills of healthcare providers on how to deliver quality maternal and child health services, especially in underserved and remote rural communities. Through continuous awareness creation and capacity-building activities, PEDO works to strengthen healthcare delivery systems and promote safe motherhood and child survival practices. In addition to training and advocacy activities, PEDO supports health system strengthening by providing essential medical and non-medical equipment to health facilities. These include laundry machines, hospital beds, bed sheets made from cloth and synthetic leather materials, generators, and fuel support for ambulances. This support is critical because PEDO operates mainly in remote rural areas where access to electricity and other basic infrastructure is limited. By improving facility conditions and ensuring the availability of emergency transport services, PEDO contributes significantly to enhancing the quality of healthcare services and reducing preventable maternal and child deaths.

The PEDO Livelihood Promotion Program is designed to improve the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable community members through sustainable income-generating activities and capacity-building interventions. The primary beneficiaries of the program are young women and girls, persons with disabilities (PWDs), unemployed youth, and elderly individuals who face economic and social challenges. The program aims to empower these groups by creating opportunities for self-reliance, economic participation, and improved livelihoods. The program provides support through both group-based and individual approaches depending on the specific needs, interests, and capacities of the beneficiaries. Before providing support, standardized business planning and skill development trainings are delivered to all participants. These trainings focus on entrepreneurship, financial management, small business operation, savings culture, and vocational skills development to ensure that beneficiaries are equipped with the knowledge and confidence required to manage income-generating activities successfully. In addition, comprehensive need-based assessments are conducted to identify the most appropriate livelihood interventions for each beneficiary or group. The assessments include evaluating the availability of working areas, the willingness and potential of family members to participate in livelihood activities, previous livelihood experiences, and the overall socio-economic condition of the household. This assessment process helps ensure that the selected business activities are realistic, sustainable, and aligned with local market opportunities. Based on the findings of the assessment, start-up capital is provided mainly in the form of in-kind support such as equipment, materials, tools, livestock, or business inputs. In rare cases, cash support is also provided when necessary. The program applies a revolving fund approach, which has proven effective in minimizing default rates while promoting accountability and sustainability among beneficiaries. Through this approach, beneficiaries are encouraged to responsibly manage resources and support others in the future. As a result of the program’s effective implementation and continuous follow-up, many beneficiaries have successfully established and expanded their small businesses, improved household incomes, and enhanced their overall living conditions. Numerous success stories have been recorded, demonstrating the positive impact of the livelihood promotion program in transforming the lives of vulnerable individuals and strengthening community resilience.

Peace building and democracy Pro-Poor Ethiopian Development Organization (PeDO) is actively engaged in promoting peace building, democracy, and social cohesion within communities affected by conflict and instability. The organization conducts awareness campaigns against hate speech and harmful narratives that fuel division and violence among different groups. PeDO strongly believes that peace can only be achieved through mutual respect, dialogue, tolerance, and understanding among communities regardless of ethnic background, religion, political ideology, gender, or social status. As part of its peace building initiatives, PeDo works to raise awareness about the root causes of conflict, including discrimination, inequality, misinformation, unemployment, political tension, and social exclusion. The organization promotes non-violent conflict resolution mechanisms by encouraging community dialogue, mediation, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence. Through training, community discussions, youth engagement, and advocacy activities, PeDo empowers people to reject violence and embrace democratic values and human rights In addition, PeDo provides humanitarian support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable communities affected by conflict and crisis. The organization supports affected populations through psychosocial assistance, livelihood support, education initiatives, and community rehabilitation efforts. PeDo is committed to ensuring that all people enjoy equal democratic rights and opportunities without discrimination based on ethnicity, Gender ,religion, political opinion, or any other difference. Through its interventions, the organization aims to contribute to a peaceful, inclusive, democratic, and resilient society in Ethiopia.