About Us

MISSION

At its root, our mission is both social and moral. It is primarily based on solidarity with low-income marginalized communities.

AG-CDA’s mission is to provide development services to Abu Ghosoun’s local Ababda community so they can create jobs, build assets, and improve their standard of living. AG-CDA aims to facilitate through various means the development of Abu Ghosoun Village by finding, creating, and supporting programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of Abo Ghosoun’s community.

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Guiding us in our mission are three core values:

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Staying true to the heritage of Ababda, their customs and traditions.

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Focusing on the critical needs (economic, financial, infrastructural) of the village and the community.

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Operating with accountability and transparency.

VISION

AG-CDA’s vision is to be the primary support and platform for a dynamic and productive community of Ababda able to influence the education, economic, and social development of Abo Ghosoun Village.

Our main objectives

  • Improve Ababda’s accessibility to education, jobs, social development, and health care programs.
  • Enhance the effective engagement of both men and women in the proper development of Abo Ghosoun village.
  • Engage the community to work together on issues of common interest.
  • Strengthen the dialogue between Ababda and business owners, job providers, and funding/aid organizations to facilitate the implementation of projects that directly improve the health, education, and wellbeing of the community.
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By: Reem Labib

WHAT WE DO

We work in Wadi El-Gemal area to improve the livelihood of Ababda Tribes through seven main programs

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Education and Capacity Development Program
This program focuses on the improvement of educational facilities to ensure a favorable academic environment for children. Broadening their access to good quality education, and ensuring that their education adequately prepares them for the job market.

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Ecotourism and Local Handicrafts Program
This program aims at using ecotourism as an engine of economic growth and an instrument for eliminating poverty, curbing unemployment problems, opening up new fields of activity to enhance the quality of life of Ababda. It aims to explore new strategies that would protect the sustainability of people’s livelihoods, identity, and also increase knowledge for encouraging, supporting, and developing tourism and crafts promotion.

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Environmental Protection & Conservation Program
This program focuses on partnering with local organizations/projects that support biodiversity and preservation of natural resources to promote community awareness on crucial environmental issues, and ensure that Wadi El-Gemal National Park is not being compromised in the face of urbanization and mass tourism.

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By: Manfred Bortoli

Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
This program supports indigenous people living inside WGNP and other protected areas to actively manage their ecosystem, and effectively use their surrounding natural resources in generating and sustaining income.

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By: Manfred Bortoli

Heritage Preservation Program
This program focuses on preserving the heritage and customary law of Ababda, and ensures the transfer of tribal knowledge, traditions, and customs to the younger generations.

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Social Support
This program focuses on improving the living conditions of Abu Ghosoun residents by addressing the critical economic, financial, and infrastructural needs of the village. It aims at supporting families and individuals with pressing financial and social concerns. Revamping the village’s waste management system, supporting women and senior citizens, creating jobs for young men, and supporting athletic and social activities.

Education and Capacity Development Program

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This program focuses on the improvement of educational facilities to ensure a favorable academic environment for children. Broadening their access to good quality education, and ensuring that their education adequately prepares them for the job market.

Ecotourism and Local Handicrafts Program

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This program aims at using ecotourism as an engine of economic growth and an instrument for eliminating poverty, curbing unemployment problems, opening up new fields of activity to enhance the quality of life of Ababda. It aims to explore new strategies that would protect the sustainability of people’s livelihoods, identity, and also increase knowledge for encouraging, supporting, and developing tourism and crafts promotion.

Environmental Protection & Conservation Program

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This program focuses on partnering with local organizations/projects that support biodiversity and preservation of natural resources to promote community awareness on crucial environmental issues, and ensure that Wadi El-Gemal National Park is not being compromised in the face of urbanization and mass tourism.

Community-Based Natural Resource Management 

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By: Manfred Bortoli

This program supports indigenous people living inside WGNP and other protected areas to actively manage their ecosystem, and effectively use their surrounding natural resources in generating and sustaining income.

Heritage Preservation Program

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By: Manfred Bortoli

This program focuses on preserving the heritage and customary law of Ababda, and ensures the transfer of tribal knowledge, traditions, and customs to the younger generations.

Social Support

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This program focuses on improving the living conditions of Abu Ghosoun residents by addressing the critical economic, financial, and infrastructural needs of the village. It aims at supporting families and individuals with pressing financial and social concerns. Revamping the village’s waste management system, supporting women and senior citizens, creating jobs for young men, and supporting athletic and social activities.

WHO WE ARE

Abo Ghosoun Community Development Association is an NGO originally founded by the village youth.  It is currently staffed and run by a group of locals from the Ababda tribe on an almost voluntary basis.

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By: Manfred Bortoli

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By: Manfred Bortoli

A grassroots effort, the NGO is considered a formal representative of the community. It presents a promising mechanism through which development interventions and community development initiatives can be planned and extended to the community.

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The NGO is now being co-managed by a group of young professionals with a strong collective experience in the fields of environmental conservation, environmental economics, social and community development, communications for development, and tourism.

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Working closely with the residents of Abo Ghosoun Village, we aim to inspire the creation of a self-sustained community, and draw on the resources of the world’s leading development institutions to help us in expanding our reach, strengthening our global network and mobilizing support.

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