About Us
Background
YIA Baidoa was founded in October 2020 by a group of youth professionals, intellectuals, and activists passionate about development and human rights in Somalia. The organization was established to address pressing humanitarian and development challenges in South West State, particularly focusing on youth, women, and marginalized communities.
YIA Baidoa’s core approach is youth-led community empowerment: harnessing the energy, creativity, and innovation of young people to lead initiatives that address issues such as protection, gender equality, child rights, livelihoods, peacebuilding, and governance.
Mission: “To contribute to the education, empowerment, and protection of young people through value-based systems that help build a better world, where individuals are selffulfilled and play a constructive role in society.”
Vision: “To create an enabling environment for the realization, respect, and protection of fundamental human rights among youth while developing their leadership potential to become active contributors in society.”
Goal: “To improve the living standards of vulnerable communities in South West State, Somalia through community mobilization, capacity building, advocacy, and institutional strengthening at the grassroots level.”
Strategic Approach
YIA Baidoa adopts a participatory and rights-based approach, ensuring community involvement at every stage of the development cycle—from problem identification to planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Its strategies emphasize:
- Local resource mobilization
- Capacity building of grassroots institutions
- Partnerships with local, national, and international actors
- Sustainability through youth innovation and leadership
Core Values
- Honesty & Integrity
- Transparency & Accountability
- Respect for Individuals
- Gender Sensitivity
- Participation & Solidarity
- Innovation & Creativity
- Cost Efficiency
- Justice & Flexibility
Organizational Strengths
- Highly qualified and committed leadership team
- Strong community acceptance and trust
- Extensive grassroots networks in Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle
- Experience in humanitarian and development programming in complex settings
- Partnerships with government institutions, NGOs, UN agencies, and donors
- Equipped with modern tools and dedicated human resources