Who we are

The Centre for Peace and Democracy (CPD) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization focusing on addressing poverty and promoting sustainable development in Somalia since its establishment in 2003. Initially centered on peacebuilding, human rights, and good governance, CPD expanded its mission in 2007 to include humanitarian aid, poverty reduction, and long-term development programs. CPD’s hallmark approach is co-creation with the communities and delivering community-led local solutions that address the immediate human sufferings of disasters through humanitarian assistance and build sustainable pathways to peacebuilding and development.

CPD is committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies. For over 20 years we have been bringing together communities torn apart by violence and mistrust, helping people resolve their differences. We connect the views of people on the ground with political processes, and share learning so others can find alternatives to violent conflict.

Building platforms for tolerance, equality and inclusion for the communities we work with, is ingrained in all our Social Development Programs. We are highly sensitive to the particular challenges and needs of the minority and marginalized groups whom we accord special targeting. Our on-ground strategies are built from the context, cultures, knowledge, wisdom, resources, needs, and aspirations of the communities we work with.

Reducing extreme poverty in Somalia is a core pillar that defines our existence. Our poverty eradication programs target the ultra-poor families that are often neglected by the mainstream charities. We deploy comprehensive, time-bound, integrated and sequenced set of interventions that aim to enable the extreme and the ultra-poor families achieve key milestones towards sustainable livelihoods and socio-economic resilience, in order to progress along a pathway out of extreme poverty. We are a catalyst who challenge the structural causes of the injustice of poverty, and work with partners locally and globally to create opportunities for people living in poverty to realize their full potential. A core component of our delivery approach is the emphasis on evidence-based inclusive programming, coupled with a strong focus on continuous learning.

We strive to link all our humanitarian, peace building and development interventions with the aim of~ maximizing their impacts with the very least resources. We believe that local actors like CPD are the critical agents necessary for advancing community-based approaches to local development and the general re-structuring of the current humanitarian and development architecture. It is this belief that informed CPD co-founding the Somali NEXUS Consortium– the first and only locally-led consortium in the country bringing together eight local actors from Somalia/Somaliland.

    Vision & Mission

    Vision: We envision a poverty-free and sustainably-developed Africa.

    Mission: To facilitate evidence-based and participatory approaches to development for sustainable welfare of African communities.

    Core values
    Efficiency – We deliver timely and most suitable interventions to the needy.
    Integrity – We are accountable to all our stakeholders including the people we serve and partners.
    Equality – We believe and honor the equal value of every human being.
    Innovation – We cherish and support innovations in the promotion of the welfare of the communities we serve.
    Our approach
    We view our interventions from rights-based and sustainability angles.
    Our focus is concentrated on the receiver’s dignity instead of the giver’s pride.
    We approach complex and interwoven social-economic challenges in a human-centered and community-driven way.
    We aim to recognize and value the potential of local resources and traditional wisdom of the communities we work with.
    We don’t say, “our donors”, we say, “our partners”. Because our partners are with us throughout the journey of community development. They don’t donate, but they complement our efforts and the community’s local resources in achieving our shared objectives.