SDA: General Information

Training workshop for community leaders, June 2006

Sudan Development Association (SDA) is a national non-governmental association established to assist poor communities in their efforts of promoting the advancement of women, exploring opportunities to stimulate growth with equity while reducing rural as well as urban poverty through adequate and equitable access to productive resources and essential supporting services. Sudan Development Association (SDA) has been assisting poor communities through:- a) promoting the advancement of women. b) Exploring opportunities to stimulate growth with equity while reducing rural as well as urban poverty through adequate and equitable access to productive resources. c) Essential basic access to social and cultural rights.
Emphasis is put on increasing women capacity to break out the poverty cycle, and moreover contribute to the acceleration of mainstreaming gender in the policies and programs to bring about changes in development process, structure and policies. The immediate objectives are:
§ Promoting economic, social and cultural development in order to increase economic self-reliance and promote an indigenous self-sustained development and promote cooperation in order to raise standard of living and maintain and enhance economic stability.
§ Advocating for and monitor the effective implementation and promote mainstreaming of gender issues into policies and programs economic implementation
§ Fostering women leadership roles
§ Encouraging alliances and networking in relation to SDA mission and visions.

SDA Values:

• Equity and non- discrimination for all, irrespective of religion, sex-age or ethnic differences.
• Trust in poor communities, particularly women, to develop their managerial and financial capabilities.
• Belief in equity and social justice.
• Honesty, transparency, openness and commitment.
• Respect of the community’s traditions and cultural values.
• Enforcement of the principles of team sprit, voluntary work and real participation.

SDA Principles
• Development is own people’s responsibilities.
• SDA can help develop sustainable development models or pilot project that could be replicated if proved success.
• Working just at grass roots can only help support the targeted community which is very limited compared to the scale of problem, therefore, there is a need to shape national and regional policies and influence policy makers to change.
• Poverty is not apolitical problem, therefore, networking and advocacy activities may help create awareness and movement that help create an inductive environment for socio-economic development.
• SDA perceived poverty as both a state i.e. deprivation of basic human needs and a process i.e. an outcome of structural inequalities pertaining both material and non-material needs generated by social relations, class, ethnicity, gender and state ideology.
• SDA policies and work strategies emphasized the social and qualitative changes of deprived communities who suffer from powerless and well being issues.

SDA Mission
Enabling poor vulnerable groups and communities, particularly women to sustain and manage their own development.

SDA Vision:
SDA has a vision where all disadvantaged poor communities of Sudan are able to meet and enjoy basic rights and improve own livelihoods through:
• Strong self-reliance associations of vulnerable group capable of managing their own affairs.
• Viable and enabling policy environment that support own people abilities to sustainably improve their livelihood.
• Systematic encouragement of civil society groups to organize themselves, mobilize own resources and take forward own initiatives that addresses their key and genuine concerns.
• Effective SDA organization with networking, lobbying and advocacy capacity.