The Afghan Australian Development Organisation (AADO) was established in Australia in 2002 with the aim of providing community development assistance and emergency relief aid to the people in Afghanistan.

In Australia, AADO assists newly arrived Afghan refugees and immigrants, supports Afghan Australian communities, raises awareness about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and advocates for just refugee policy. In Afghanistan, AADO empowers Afghan people by providing opportunities to access education and training, advance sustainable livelihoods, improve health and build stronger communities.

The focus of our work is the creation of formal and informal educational opportunities for disadvantaged Afghans. In the last five years, AADO has implemented projects in Kabul and Qarabagh districts, providing vocational training, basic literacy and numeracy, in-service teacher training and resources for educational institutions. We work with women and girls, particularly in rural communities, to improve their access to education, healthcare and employment, to overcome discrimination and to protect human rights, whilst respecting Afghan culture and traditions.

AADO has received generous support from Australian foundations, corporations and community groups, including Australian Volunteers International (AVI), Aspire Foundation, Hope International, Portland House Foundation, Lonely Planet, SMEC Foundation, Cabrini Health, Herma PST, and Planet Wheeler Foundation. In Afghanistan we have collaborated with the Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development (MRRD) and the Ministry of Health (MoH). AADO has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and works closely with the Qarabagh District Governorate on rural community development projects.

AADO is registered as an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the Ministry of Economy in Afghanistan and is incorporated in Victoria, Australia. AADO is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the council’s Code of Conduct. In Afghanistan AADO employs a small team of local project management and field staff. In Melbourne the organisation is run by volunteers with a committee of management who oversee the organisational governance, financial oversight and fundraising. In November a technical advisor Kate O’Rourke, was employed, thanks to a grant from the Wheeler Foundation. Ms O’Rourke is responsible for coordinating organisational capacity building both in Australia and Afghanistan, project development and monitoring evaluation.

Dr Nouria Salehi is the Executive Director and founder of AADO and she continues to play a crucial role in promoting and raising funds for the organisation. Dr Salehi is a senior physicist in the department of nuclear medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In 1997 she received the Order if Australia Medal (OAM) in recognition of her humanitarian work with the Afghan refugee community. Dr Salehi visits Afghanistan bi-annually when she monitors existing programmes, visits with Afghan authorities and ascertains where particular needs exist and new projects could be developed.