Professional Alliance for Development, PADet, is an indigenous no-governmental organization established in 1998 with the vision of bringing change on children, youth and women to enjoy secured life.

PADet’s mission is to support children, youth and women in their efforts to improve their wellbeing through participatory and sustainable development programs focusing on sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS prevention and support, child development, promotion of livelihood and food security measures.

PADet is operational in five administrative regions that include Addis Ababa, Amhara, Benishangul, Oromiya, Afar, it implements 11 projects in 26 districts with a total portfolio of Birr 35 million for 2020 aimed at addressing  187,964 target beneficiaries directly (50% female).

PADet implements projects that contribute to build capacities of target community members and ensure their overall development; the current programs interventions include:

1. Promotion of food security and improve livelihoods of target groups:

PADet implements projects that contributes to food security and building resilience of food insecure vulnerable groups and households by adopting integrated approaches which includes interventions such as, introducing improved seed, building small-scale irrigation; promotion of disaster risk reduction interventions via school structures. Moreover PADet promotes rural youth employment and provides livelihood support for creation of youth employment.

2. Promotion of child protection:

PADet is working in prevention of child trafficking, tracking safe movements of children and support reunification of migrant children and supporting vulnerable children using coalition of care/ community child protection structures.

3. Promotion of Sexual Reproductive health

Promotion of girls’ education integrated with adolescent reproductive health. The purpose is to enhance adolescent reproductive health service at schools, imparting life skills integrating with promotion of income generating activities, IGA, for parents and guardians of children from low income families that aim towards improving girls’ school enrolment etc.

4. HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support

Prevention of HIV/AIDS among high risk groups like commercial sex workers and daily laborers along major towns and road corridors. It ensures provision of community based support for highly vulnerable groups using coalition care support structures, through mobilizing volunteers and strengthening the referral system.

5. Women Empowerment

PADet works to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere, eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation, eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation, recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies.

Considering the previous achievements, PADet has been contributing to the capacity building of target community members i.e. children, youth and women. In a bid to reach children, PADet intervenes at individual and family level. Through the interventions, PADet has created enabling environment and has improved food security at household level through developing irrigation schemes, vegetable gardening at schools where it has reached number of vulnerable households.  PADet has reached thousands of beneficiaries in prevention of HIV/AIDs in high risk corridors through the traditional structures as well as through innovative measures like house- to –house and peer to peer interventions and other community sessions.  In terms of child protection, PADet has increased the awareness level and practice of parents on the effects of child abuse practiced in the different localities; particularly it has contributed to influence parents to cancel arranged early marriages in cooperation with local administrations.  PADet has also contributed to enhance capacity of government office staff as counter parts that has resulted in improving their effectiveness. In total PADet has reached 2,728,477 beneficiaries directly and indirectly since its establishment.

PADet practices participatory development approach where stakeholders fully take part in the development process. It has adapted decentralized system of management where the operation areas are independent to manage the project portfolio. There are six field coordinating offices that provide support to projects; the coordination offices are located in Addis Ababa, Mukturi, Woldiya, Dessie, Bahirdar zurua and east and west Gojam, and Addis Kedam and Gachene in Afar regions.  The offices are staffed with well experienced personnel  (37% female) and equipped with necessary office amenities.

In terms of partnership, PADet works with the following: PSI, Project hope, Action AID,  Save the Children International and the Master card foundation and USAID,  German foundation for World population, Freedom fund, Pestallozi children foundation, the Ethiopian Red cross society/IFRC, Geneva global, OAK foundation, Multi-trust fund managed by the World bank, Ethiopian Road Construction Authority and CCCC ( a Chinese construction company), Plan international through grants from FINNIDA and SIDA.

PADet is a member of various networks and consortiums at regional and national level of which Non State Actors Coalition, United Religion Initiative having affiliation with global interfaith peace building initiatives; Consortium of Reproductive Health /CORHA, Population, Health and Environment/PHE, and Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association/CCRDA are the major ones.