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About Us

Afghan Paramount Welfare and Development Organization (APWDO) is a national non-governmental not-for-profit organization, established in 2008 by Afghans and registered, in 2010, with Afghanistan Ministry of Economy (MoEc).

The core of our organizational philosophy, at APWDO, is to provide humanitarian support, to the vulnerable communities of Afghanistan, based on the principles of UDHR and the socio-cultural values of our country and to provide innovative, socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable human development solutions through research, dialogue, networking, partnerships, and solutions exchange. APWDO is an indigenous organization that seeks to invest resources, efforts, time and energies in interventions responsive to the local needs, backed by evidence from the ground collected through close consultations with the local communities, formal and informal institutions.

We seek opportunities to develop programs and projects and provide services to contribute to communities’ relief, rehabilitation, and development. We believe that without the proactive and enterprising role of women in the development process, the development narrative in Afghanistan would be a farce. Women development and empowerment is an essential and key area of our focus.

During the recent years, APWDO has continued its cooperation with many donors such as, ADALAT – USAID, ACOIII – PAS/ State department, KFZ-USAID, UNHCR, UNOPS, UNAMA, USACA, IRC UNDP/ANBP, FAO DACARR, WSP, UAS, PRT and MRRD, among others.

Our Vision & Mission

Our Vision

“We envision a peaceful, responsive, prosperous, literate, and healthy society in Afghanistan where peace dwells, where the principles of democracy, rules of law, and social justice thrive, and where everyone enjoys public relief without discrimination.”

Our Mission

To actively contribute to the noble cause of addressing the humanitarian and human development challenges of Afghans through innovative, effective, efficient and relevant interventions by fostering meaningful partnerships with local communities and other stakeholders.

Our Core Values

Accountability and transparency;
Ensure the human rights;
Mutual respect among all stakeholders;
Commitment to sustainable development;
Coordination and cooperation with all stakeholders;
Respect for the human, socio-cultural, and religious values of the communities we work with; and,
Working with independence and impartiality.

Our Structure

The organizational structure of APWDO is defined by three distinct, but interconnected, components namely, a general supervisory body called the Board of Directors (BoD), three specialized functional units called the Departments, and a coordinating committee named the Project Management Committee (PMC).

Board of Directors (BoD)

The executive body of APWDO is the Board of Directors, also known as the Steering Committee, consisting of four members and headed by a Chairman. The BoD is responsible for the overall management of the organisation, providing strategic direction, reviewing and approving organizational policies and procedures, making sure that bylaws of the organization are followed in letter and spirit, and hiring director for the organization. Our current BoD members are Ms Masouda Zeb, Dr Hamidullah, Dr Abdul Ahad Alizai, and Mr Hikmatullah Faisal.

Departments

APWDO has its hierarchy but in practice the whole organization works as a team. The formal hierarchy melts into a strong, cohesive, and socially constructed team of committed individuals. APWDO is headed by an Executive Director who is the administrative head of the organisation.

Below the Executive Director, the work of the organization has been divided into specialized functional departments namely, the Communications and Partnerships Department, the Operations Department, and the Programs Development Department. All the three departments are headed by their directors. We make sure that each of these organizational units is well equipped with the required tools, personnel, and the concomitant autonomy to perform effectively and efficiently in their specialized functional areas. Each department has further specialized positions occupied by skilled incumbents. The organizational hierarchy and structure is evident from the organogram below.

Project Management Committee (PMC)

The Project Management Committee (PMC), made up of the directors of the three functional areas, is constituted to manage all the projects carried out by APWDO. Through the PMC, all the departments are well coordinated within the organizational frame to maximize their synergies. This Project Management Committee (PMC) is responsible for assigning members, from their functional areas, to project teams involved in the planning and execution of projects. The PMC also has an advisory role, to the Executive Director, in relation to organization management, policies formulation, project planning, and project implementation.

Our Team

Dr. Muhammad Tariq Sais

Dr. Muhammad Tariq Sais leads the Afghan Paramount Welfare and Development Organization (APWDO) as its Executive Director. He has earned the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Kabul Medical University (KMU), besides holding a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the same university. In addition, he has successfully completed various specialized courses on social change and social development.

Dr. Sais is one of the founding members of APWDO and has served the organization for over a decade. During this period, he has contributed extensively to the organizational growth and development and implementation of programs/projects of varying sizes and complexities both independently and on behalf of donor organizations all across Afghanistan. Further, he has been instrumental in establishing partnerships with likeminded national and international organizations. Currently, APWDO is a member of various CSOs networks, including “Afghan Peace House”, which is an umbrella organization of CSOs striving for peace in the country and regularly contributes to the policy dialogue on peace utilizing different channels. In addition to his core responsibilities as the Executive Director, Dr. Sais serves as the representative of APWDO in initiatives such as Afghan Peace House.

Mr. Arbab Mohammad Nabi

Mr. Arbab Mohammad Nabi is among the founding members of APWDO and heads the Department of Communication and Partnerships. He has studied Law from North American University, USA, earning his Master’s therein. Apart from this, he has studied a string of subjects like Urban Management, Crisis Capitalism, and Participatory Democracy.

Mr. Nabi’s work experience in non-profit sector spans over more than a decade that has been enriched by working in areas of women rights, democracy, conflict management, and rule of law as well as raising funds for related causes. He has been extensively involved in research, analytical and critical thinking, and functions of management and has contributed extensively to the organizational growth and development. Furthermore, he has participated in various national and international conferences, where he presented his research papers on the socio-economic and political dynamics of Afghanistan. Mr. Nabi exhibits a striking amalgamation of pragmatic and empirical knowledge enriching APWDO. Such knowledge has provided the organization with the much needed precursors for incessant and expedient utilization at the management, policy, and project levels.

Mr. Basherullah Safi

Mr. Basherullah Safi serves as Director Operations at APWDO. He earned Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Tanweer Institute of Higher Education. He also holds a Postgraduate Qualification in Environmental Management from the University of Pune, India.

Mr. Safi’s work experience spans over a period of ten years. Over the course of this period, he has been involved with serving distinguished organizations such as IARDSWO, YEWCO, AFCC, GAAM, WWF, and UNDP – to name a few. He has also worked in the public sector and contributed extensively to improving the management systems in various capacities.

Furthermore, he has been working in imparting trainings as well as providing training resources, besides, editing and documenting contents on a variety of topics. These trainings are often times aimed at children, students, teachers as well as corporate bodies. Additionally, in collusion with APWDO’s environmental programs, he has also helped in raising funds for causes relating to environment.

Mr. Fazal Rahman Tasal

Mr. Fazal Rahman Tasal serves in the capacity of Senior Strategy & Policy Officer. He graduated with a Degree in Agriculture majoring in Soil Sciences from Agriculture University Peshawar. He has vast knowledge on his hand and has experience in the fields of program development, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). He is well acquainted with the mutual interaction among soil, water and other essential components of the ecosystem. He has worked with UN and other international bodies over the course of his career expending more than 15 years – specializing in rural development and environmental conservation.

Mr Tasal is proficient in the areas of policy and strategy development, governance, community development, biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable livelihoods, disaster risk management, natural resource management and linkages between poverty and environment. He has played his role successfully in the execution of several projects, program operations, and interventions in the stated thematic areas.

Mr. Amrullah Hanif

Mr. Amrullah Hanif works as a Senior Program Development Officer in the Department of Programs Development at APWDO. He has enriched his career, by working over a decade, in the areas of capacity building, policy development, institutional development, strategic communication, public outreach programs coupled with grassroots advocacy initiatives. He has been working on mainstreaming marginalized groups and peoples like women and youth in liaison with community development councils, district development councils, and civil society organizations. He has particularly been active in bridging the civil society organizations and community bodies.

Mr. Hanif’s past work experience includes but is not limited to assignments with IDLG-AECOM/ASOP USAID, DAI/ARD-LGCD, UN-Habitat and ARD-KCI/USAID in leadership capacity.

Mr. Zabihullah Sajid

Mr. Zabihullah Sajid works in the capacity of Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Officer in the Department of Programs Development at APWDO. He has graduated with a master’s degree in Psychology that is followed by postgraduate diploma in Mass Communications and diploma in Business Management with a specialization in Human Resource and Development from Kardan University, Kabul. Apart from this, Mr. Sajid also graduated with a degree in Political Science from Tanweer Institute of Higher Education.

Mr. Sajid’s area of expertise includes, but is not limited to, M&E, Program Development, Project Management, Research & Analysis and Human Resource Development.

Mr. Bilal Malyar

Mr. Bilal Malyar is serving APWDO in the capacity of Senior Technology Officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Osmania University, India and a master’s degree in Renewable Energy Technologies from University of Exeter, United Kingdom. He has also completed numerous diploma and certificate courses in Information & Communication Technology, Technology for Development as well as social development and remained active research member of the IEEE and UKRTC.

Mr Malyar possesses broad experience of leading and executing technology related projects such as “Rain Water Harvesting for Irrigation and Electricity”, “Microwave Energy Suites for Remote Areas Affected by Natural disasters”, “Robotic Health Service in Hazardous Environments”, to mention a few.

Ms. Sohila

Ms. Sohila serves as Senior Gender Officer at APWDO. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Sharia Faculty of Kunar University. She exhibits a thorough experience in the fields of gender integration and gender equality by working in different capacities like community mobilizer, social organizer professional teacher, and a master trainer in various development sector organizations. She has also worked as Hygiene Promoter and Teachers’ Trainer in NRC and SCA respectively.

Ms. Sohila has been actively participating in training seminars and workshops in dozens of non-governmental organizations especially in the areas of women empowerment. An amalgamation of knowledge and skills coupled with experience gained from travelling expeditions within various districts and provinces of Afghanistan has aided her develop confident outlook and excellent communication skills. A larger proportion of her experience has been gained through working with women of a variety of social classes who remain deprived of their basic rights. Ms. Sohila has played a vibrant role in helping women in cognizance of their rights and duties and as responsible citizens partaking in the national growth and development.

Ms. Palwasha Salarzai

Ms. Palwasha Salarzai currently serves as Senior HR Officer at APWDO. She has graduated with a degree in Law and Political Science from the Kunar University. She has an all-round experience of the development sector by working with organizations like Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) as a Teacher’s Trainer and for Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as Community Mobilizer. Furthermore, Ms. Salarzai has worked as an Administrator and Finance Assistant at Ehasas Aziz Construction Company. She has also been actively involved in attending workshops, training sessions, and seminars on various community related issues with international organizations such as, USAID, UNDP, and NRC. She has contributed to the organization’s overall expertise with more than six years of diverse experience in the areas of administration and finance that is expediently exploited to help the organization achieve its goals.

Ms. Ameneh Eskandari

Ms. Ameneh Eskandari serves in the capacity of Policy & Research Associate at APWDO. She holds a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Tehran, Iran. She possesses broad experience in research and policy analysis. She has served as lecturer at different universities in Kabul. Her areas of expertise and interest are social research, policy analysis, and policy development.

Ms. Feroza Sherzai

Ms. Feroza Sherzai is working with APWDO in the capacity of Master Trainer. She holds a university degree in Law & Political Science from Dawat University Kabul. She possesses extensive experience working with employees of public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations in relation to capacity building. Ms. Sherzai’s has earned this diverse experience in sectors including small business enterprises, vocational training, short term courses of women rights, citizen fundamental rights, child rights, and women’s access to rights of education, property, heritage and other legal rights.

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