Our approach

Introduction

Woord en Daad was established in 1973 and is based in The Netherlands. We aim to overcome poverty by sustainably transforming people and societies. We connect people, communities, schools & educational centers, entrepreneurs, social institutions, local and national governments, and local NGO’s worldwide. We are motivated by the Christian perspective of justice and compassion, to realize a dignified existence for every individual.

Woord en Daad cooperates with partner organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The approach of Woord en Daad consists of direct poverty alleviation, reinforcement of civil society, and policy influencing.

Consortium building & system change

Woord en Daad aims to sustainably improve lives of vulnerable people, to realize a dignified existence for every individual. We believe a system change approach is needed to realize this, so Woord en Daad cooperates as much as possible in multi-stakeholder partnerships with governments, businesses, civil society organizations and knowledge institutes to reach a maximum of impact. We work in long term partnership with civil society actors. Lobby and advocacy are important for our development approach.

Project-based

Woord en Daad’s organizational structure is project-based. This approach has arisen from our strong cooperation with external parties and allows us to work agile in teams. Our strategic partner organizations are advised and encouraged to follow the same organizational strategy and participate in an entrepreneurial way in consortia and project teams. We can support partners in following this agile way of working in teams, by offering consultancy support, e.g. using a value drive mapping.

Our expertise invested in 5 programs

1. International Network for Christian Education (INCE) improves national education standards in each country involved. Education is the basis of everyone’s development as a person. But it is not only about children going to school. Education also has to be of good quality. For Woord en Daad the child comes first. Yet the school, the community and the society are determining factors in the development of the child. That is why Woord en Daad works on different areas and with various partners on the quality of Christian education. So that more and more children can grow into independent adults.
2. Job Booster connects youth to the labor market needs and can facilitate vocational training and job coaching. We stimulate the employment market by setting up local social enterprises. Through Job Booster Business, our local partner connects the private sector, job-seekers, vocational training centers and government organizations, to match entrepreneurs who have job vacancies with young job-seekers. Job Booster first identifies the private sector’s needs and facilitates training for young people who are linked up to companies for internships and jobs. In this way Woord en Daad creates work and employment possibilities for poor youth.
3. Sustainable Water focuses on WASH, water-forfood, and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). It is realized with partner organizations, businesses, governments and water boards in the countries concerned. Water is of vital importance and plays a crucial role in many aspects of our lives. We use it to wash our hands, to drink, it is important to grow crops and a lot of water is also needed for industries. However, access to water is not self-evident. Many people have no access to safe drinking water, leading to illness and even death. And the pressure on water supplies continues to increase. Within the program of ‘Sustainable Water’ Woord en Daad is working on access to clean water and a healthy environment for everyone. We do this together with partner organizations, businesses, governments and water boards.
4. Fair Factories focus on enabling food-processing SMEs to produce more food fairly with a positive social impact and profit for all parties involved. Beans, pineapple, chocolate: a lot of what you eat is grown in countries in the South. In these countries, agriculture and livestock farming represent at least half of the national income. Investment in the agricultural sector is therefore a top priority. We believe in the power of developing countries to produce their own food. That is why we invest in factories with social impact. With a profit for all parties involved, from farmer to factory worker.
5. Natural disasters are becoming more and more frequent worldwide. We are called and would like to assist our vulnerable neighbor in need, and provide emergency relief immediately after a natural disaster. We provide our assistance through local partner organizations By supporting that what is best in each organization the highest possible result is reached. After acute emergency relief, we focus on resilience. We analyze how a community can become stronger and more resilient. We help strengthen the region in such a way that it can better handle a possible future disaster. Emergency aid is not a one-off intervention, but a long-term plan.

Planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning

Woord en Daad measures the successes of the programs constantly by using the ‘Planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning’ (PMEL) cycle. The people are the center of our work in all of the programs. Woord en Daad works together with partners to provide help in the most efficient way and to create strong strategies and programs together.