History of POD of ECWA
People Oriented Development of ECWA, POD of ECWA as it is been short formed and known by many, is one of the departments in ECWA that is church-based and non-governmental in nature and reaching communities with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by demonstrating God’s love partnership for sustainable development.
POD motto is: “Helping people to help themselves”.
Prior to the formation of POD in 1989, ECWA Rural Development and ECWA Community Health Programme were ministering especially to the rural poor through the diffusion theory of innovation. By the mid-1980s, a number of evaluations revealed that these two departments were not meeting the numerous needs of these rural poor. This was due to the ineffectiveness of their strategy and the downturn of the Nigerian economy.
These departments agreed to change their approach, which led to a series of re-orientation on community-based development. A decision to merge the Extension Section of ECWA Rural Development and the Preventive Health Care Unit of ECWA Community Health Programme was then taken to form POD in November 1989.
POD's Mission
To promote empowerment of poor and vulnerable communities through participatory approaches for wholistic transformation.
POD's Vision
Envisions improved and sustained living conditions of poor and vulnerable communities.
POD Identity Statement/Mandate
POD is a faith-based organisation focus on wholistic transformation of poor and vulnerable communities in Nigeria, which can be attained through participatory approaches for the empowerment of the people towards self-reliance.
Strategy
POD applies a participatory learning and action and capacity building.
- Field staff facilitate the development process in the targeted communities.
- The communities are enable to implement identified projects in ways that are relevant to their situation using locally available resources.
- The community Development Committees, formed by the people are then empowered through training to carry out development activities on their own when the communities are weaned.
Core Values
- God’s Love: The love of God is to all humanity and must be demonstrated by action.
- People first: POD values people’s lives, their potentials, full participation in their development activities and utilization of locally available resources through communal efforts.
- Integrity: we believe in total honesty, transparency and accountability at all levels.
- Indigenous Knowledge: We believe in people’s indigenous knowledge about their environment, issues that concern them and the utilization of issues that concern the utilization of such knowledge.
- Networking & Collaboration: POD believes in exchange of ideas, sharing of information resources and experiences for mutual benefit.
- Local Church Empowerment: This is done by way of training church leaders in community mobilization and development process.
- Stewardship: POD emphasizes accountability and transparency, care for creation, the achievement of sustainability and self-reliance through appropriate education and the use of locally available human and material resources.
- Sustainability: improving the quality of life of individuals and communities using appropriate interventions so that people are enable to live fulfilled lives as intended by God.
Core Programmes
- Church & Community Transformation (CCT)
- Sustainable Agriculture, Environment and safeguarding Issues,
- Conflict Resolution, Peace Building and Humanitarian Response,
- Basic Socio-economic, Water & Sanitation & Education.
- Networking & Collaboration