We are civic human not for profit organization that is established on 1995 in Mina Governorate. Its geographic scope is Egypt. BLACD has a board of governance formed of five members from both men and women. It has 50 full time staff and 150 volunteers; BLACD is unique in targeting marginalized people such as quarries labors, fishermen, small farmers, and women .

Since the year 2000 BLACD is adopting human rights developments based approach and integrates this approach into its policies and strategies instead of filling the needs and gaps and provide services. BLACD works to raise the awareness toward giving the rights to marginalized and deprived people. BLACD also focuses on poor people organization in informal and formal institutions and movements as well as build their capacity to get their rights and to lead and implement their own advocacy campaigns.

In 2012 BLACD could calm that it has diversified experiences in the field of human rights development based approach in the poorest communities of Upper Egypt and among civil society and governmental organizations and it has effective relationships and networks on different levels.

BLACD wishes during the period from 2013 – 2017 (duration of this strategic plan) to achieve its strategic goals

• Egyptian communities – with the focus on Upper Egypt area - enjoy their rights and positively participate in addressing their own life issues, for their` better life.
• BLACD is pioneer and effective because it owns the needed systems, relations, human resources, finance and information that ensure its ability to achieve its vision.

• We (BLACD) work to empower the most marginalized and poorest people to enjoy their rights through promoting the culture of Right Based Approach in development, community crganization, empowering the executive and civic institutions to play their community roles effectively and link them with policies makers and help them to lead advocacy issues and build local, regional and international networks  

   

  BLACD uniqueness are the many years of experiences in the field of community and rights development as well as human relief services. BLACD has strong relationships and networks with other local, regional and international individuals and organizations. BLACD has clear and written internal financial and administration systems 

BLACD working principles and values

• We believe that community members have rights to enjoy not just receivers of services, they should participate in community development programs design, implementation, and evaluation.

• Encourage citizen participation to enhance social coherencies

• Enhance social, political and economic empowerment to communities and individuals in order to protect their basic democratic rights.

• Build strong communities through enhance the surrounding environment that lead to positive change in people life

we are committed to

•   Respect diversity that lead to human and materialistic life sustainability

•   Equality, no discrimination, respect community culture and being responsible toward community benefits

•   Respect diversity and invest that diversity in developing creative community interventions and programs

•  Work with integrity and honesty without going into conflict of interest in our all business and networking.

• Staff are respected, work in environment that ensure equal rights

• We are esponsible, transparent, accepting accountability in all of our business

• We believe to be good citizen, build partnership and respect laws

•  Respect positive competition that ensure the best quality of our activities

1. Build community awareness in the areas of citizenship, accepting others, tolerances,  and human rights
2. Empower poor farmers, fishermen, quarry workers and other marginalized people with the information that lead them to get their rights also to work themselves toward getting that rights and to support them in building networks that represent them and advocate their rights
3. Work to involve popular local council’s members and other representatives in shaping Egypt future and being part of legislations and constitutional dialogue in order to put poor   issues in the newly issued policies and laws.
4. Work to achieve women and children rights and empower them to get access to education and health services and to get them real opportunities to active their active community participation
5. Build the institutional capacity of local community organizations in order to have effective civil society that could highlight the marginalized poor people’s issues in order for them to get their rights and to have access equally to the available resources
6. Provide the needed emergency human aids to marginalized poor people to meet their housing, health, education and other programs needs
7. Enhance BLACD internal capacity in the field of human resources, financial management, administration, information, IT and networks with others

Strategic goals

1-     Empower the poorest people in BLACD target communities to be able to enjoy their rights and to positively participate in community issues

1-1              12,000 families in 50 communities improved their life

1-1.1         8 of the local governmental executive institutions (Health, education, social solidarity, irrigation, ministry of endowment, infrastructure, water and sanitation, local units) are able to  provide high quality services for marginalized poor people

1-1.2         Improved 100 civic institutions to be able to adopt marginalized poor people issues

1-1.3         5000 families are able to get affordable and decent house

1-1.4         Improve the educational level of 3000 child through sending the dropped out children back to school or/and to get them the opportunity to have school access for the first time. 2000 women have successfully finished their literacy program.

1-1.5         2000 female and male youth in the targeted communities have the opportunity and the ability to improve their own economic status.

1-2              30,000 marginalized poor people in 50 communities will be able organize themselves in an independent bodies that are able to represent their constituencies interest and requests

1-2.1         Improve the ability of BLACL target groups of fishermen, quarries labors, small farmers, and women to advocate for their rights,

1-2.2         Establish independent bodies that advocate for their members rights of fishermen, quarries labors, small farmers, other marginalized people

1-2.3         Establish and build the capacity of women bodies that advocate for their members

1-3              5,000 child and 20,000 women are enjoying their rights and get protected against all types of violence

1-3.1         Women and their families in the targeted communities have the awareness towards women and children rights and work to protect them from physical and psychological violence

1-3.2         Different stakeholders in the targeted communities (midwives, religious leaders, media, families) adopt women and children issues

1-3.3         Improve the capacity of 20 local community development associations to adopt women and children issues and put these issues on their working agenda

1-4              Empower 15 local target communities to best use of their local  natural resources that reduce the poverty at these communities

1-4.1         Increase the opportunities to use alternatives and appropriate technologies to better use natural resources (solar water heaters, environment friendly ovens, appropriate latrines, use natural organic agricultures, better use of water, conflict resolution

1-4.2         Research centers adopt the issues of better use of the natural resources

1-4.3         Improve the housing conditions of 5000 families in the targeted communities

1-5              Build the capacity of 100 local communities to be able to practice the right based approaches, citizenship, participation

1-5.1         The targeted communities are aware of their citizen rights

1-5.2         Improve the capacity of  20 Local popular councils members in 20 communities to better perform their roles and responsibility

1-5.3         Build the capacity of 100 local community to be able to practice the right based approaches, citizenship, participation for the first time

2-     Empower BLACD with the financial and human resources that ensure its ability to achieve its mission and be able to introduce development models for others to follow

2-1        BLACD plans for financial sustainability and a diversity of resources and  plans for  fund-raising  activities by 30%  increase in its resources per year

2-1-1        Improve BLACD staff capacity to be able to assess its organizational capacity and future development.

2-1-2       Business sector participate effectively in achieving BLACD mission

2-1-3       BLACD has income generating projects that insure its own revenue

2-2       BLACD has a unit that effectively recruit, manage and motivate volunteers

2-2.1   BLACD has effective volunteers management unit

2-2.2   BLACD has the capacity to play an intermediary role of support to primary-stratum (community-based) NGOs and individuals

2-2.3   BLACD has the capable staff who have the skills to implement its programs in a good quality

2-2.4   BLACD has the information technology tools and skills

2-3       BLACD has written policies and procedures that increase its effectiveness

2-3.1    BLACD has written financial, administration and information policies and procedures systems that increase its effectiveness

2-3.2   BLACD maintains a database of its clients, partners, donors, consultant expertises that is regularly updated and available to stakeholders

2-3.3   BLACD has a web site that is regularly used and  updated

• Democracy & Human Rights
• Education
• Housing
• Economic Empowerment 
• Health

The founder of BLACD Mr. Maher Boshra, was awarded the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship for his social entrepreneurial work in 2004.  Mr. Boshra was also nominated in 2006 for the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship award for BLACD`s practical solutions to development issues in Upper Egypt.