Somali Region, Ethiopia · since 2013
We work where the drought hits first and the help arrives last.
Wa-PYDO is a women-led Ethiopian NGO founded by pastoralist communities in Dollo Ado. We build livelihoods, protect women and children, keep refugee children in school, and hold the peace along the border.
180,000+
People reached through our livelihoods programme
18,250
Refugee children in pre-primary education
101,010
Animals vaccinated in one drought response
12
Years working in the same communities
Who we are
Founded by the community, not parachuted in
In February 2013 a general assembly of respected elders and village representatives met in Dollo Ado and formed Wa-PYDO — the Women and Pastoralist Youth Development Organization. Not because a donor had a programme, but because pastoralist families were losing their herds and there was nothing local to turn to.
Twelve years later we are still headquartered in Dollo Ado, women-led, board-governed, and registered with the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations. 247 people work with us across four offices, and the majority of them are women.
What we do
Six areas, one community
Everything we run is designed to work with everything else. A vaccinated herd, a cooperative that can sell it, a school the children stay in, and elders who can settle a dispute before it costs lives.
Livelihoods & food security
Livestock health, climate-smart agriculture, cooperatives, market linkage and enterprise for refugees, host communities and pastoralists.
Education
Pre-primary and early childhood education for refugee children, teacher training, and inclusion of children with disabilities.
Protection & GBV
Mobile protection teams, case management, psychosocial support and community protection committees — confidential by design.
Peacebuilding
Cross-border dialogue, clan mediation, natural resource co-sharing and youth–elder engagement along the Ethiopia–Somalia–Kenya corridor.
Emergency response
Drought and flood response — livestock treatment, seed and tools, cash transfers and water infrastructure.
Women & youth empowerment
Business grants, financial literacy, adult literacy, vocational training and women’s leadership inside the cooperatives we help build.
The work, and the people doing it
Every photograph on this site was taken on a Wa-PYDO project. Nothing here is stock imagery.
Where we work
Five refugee camps, and the communities that host them
Our head office is in Dollo Ado Town, Liban Zone, with a field office at Melkadida. We work across the five Dollo Ado refugee camps — Bokolmayo, Melkadida, Kobe, Hilaweyn and Buramino — and the host kebeles around them.
Beyond Liban Zone we run programmes in Dollo Bay (Afder Zone), Kelafo and Mustahil (Shabelle Zone) and Fik (Erer Zone), with a liaison office in Jigjiga and a coordination office in Addis Ababa.
As of February 2026, 218,173 Somali refugees were registered in the Dollo Ado camps.
Featured
Three projects worth reading about
Eleven years of integrated livelihoods
2015 to 2025, five refugee camps, USD 7.18 million, around 180,000 people and 31 cooperatives established. Funded by the IKEA Foundation through UNHCR.
Brighter Outcomes Ethiopia
17 pre-primary centres, 18,250 children, 311 children with disabilities enrolled and 141 fitted with mobility devices.
Cross-Border Community Resilience
Two clans back in dialogue after a decade of conflict, 80 displaced women trained in business, and 400 girls kept in school.
Start small. Many people lapse into apathy because they feel there is nothing they, as an individual, can do to help others effectively. Yet every little action helps.
Mohamed Ali Abdi-Moalab — Founder & Executive Director
SINCE 2013
Trusted by the partners we work alongside
Wa-PYDO’s programmes have been funded and supported by these organisations since 2013. Not every partner has funded every project — see each project page for its specific funder.
Latest from our Facebook page
Day-to-day updates from the field, posted by our team.
Strengthening Community Animal Health Services and Pastoral Livelihoods!**Wa-PYDO is pleased to announce the successful completion of a **seven-day refresher training and veterinary start-up kit distribution for 44 Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs)** under the **IFTIIN Project**, supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), KfW and German Cooperation.Location:** Dollo Addo, Bokolmayo and Dollo Bay Woredas, Somali Region, Ethiopia. **Training Period:** 12–18 October 2026Through close collaboration with the respective Woreda Pastoralist Development Offices, the initiative strengthened the knowledge and practical skills of CAHWs in livestock disease prevention, basic animal treatment, vaccination practices, disease surveillance and community-based veterinary services.✅ **Key Achievements:**🐪 44 CAHWs received refresher training.💊 44 complete veterinary start-up kits distributed, each comprising 26 different equipment and veterinary supply items, including essential veterinary medicines.📍 20 CAHWs from Dollo Addo, 6 from Bokolmayo and 18 from Dollo Bay benefited from the intervention.🥼 Participants received essential veterinary equipment, protective gowns, knapsack sprayers and medicines to support animal health services in their communities.By combining technical capacity building with essential veterinary equipment, Wa-PYDO is helping strengthen access to community-based animal health services, protect livestock assets and improve the resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral households.🤝 **Together, we are strengthening livestock health, protecting livelihoods and building resilient pastoral communities!**#wapydo #iftiin #WFP #KfW #GermanCooperation #CAHWS #animalhealth #pastorallivelihoods #foodsecurity #CommunityResilience #SomaliRegion #Ethiopia
As part of ongoing efforts to improve access to financial services and strengthen community knowledge and financial resilience, Wa-PYDO’s technical team supported the establishment of a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) in Sablaley Sub-Kebele, Melkadida, Bokolmayo district.To strengthen the group’s sustainability, transparency, and financial record-keeping, VSLA passbooks and ledgers were produced and provided to the community. These tools will enable members to properly record savings, loans, repayments, and other group transactions while building stronger community-based financial management practices.This initiative is implemented under the IFTIN Project, funded by WFP/KWF, contributing to improved financial inclusion, self-reliance, and sustainable livelihoods among targeted communities.#WaPYDO #IFTIN #VSLA #FinancialInclusion #CommunityResilience #Livelihoods #WFP #KWF
🌱 Empowering Farmers Through Digital Agriculture! 📱🌾On August 31, 2026, the Women and Pastoralist Youth Development Organization (Wa-PYDO) successfully hosted a Digital Community of Practice (DCOP) workshop at Hijra Hotel in Dollo Ado under the SAMAS Project / CropScope.The event brought together 100 participants—including researchers, agricultural experts, Development Agents, lead farmers from our three project woredas, agriculture officers, and Wa-PYDO staff—to explore how modern technology can revolutionize crop production and farm management.Key Highlights of the Workshop:💡 Hands-on Demonstrations: Showcasing cutting-edge digital tools like the CropScope app, FarmChat app, and advanced soil sensors.🤝 Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing: Interactive discussions focused on data-driven agricultural decision-making and climate-smart farming solutions.🌐 Digital Community Established: We officially launched a 100-member WhatsApp platform to ensure continuous peer learning, technical support, and timely agricultural advice moving forward!A huge thanks to all our participants, partners, and stakeholders for making this event a tremendous success as we drive sustainable agricultural development together! 🌍📈
Partner with us
Wa-PYDO is a registered, audited Ethiopian NGO with twelve years of delivery in one of the hardest operating environments in the Horn of Africa. If you fund work here, we should talk.