ISODEC is a Ghanaian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded in 1987. It is made up of 3 national affiliate bodies and two international joint venture operations in the West Africa sub-region. ISODEC describes its mission as promoting social justice and fundamental human rights, especially of the poor and those without organized voice and influence. ISODEC currently provides basic needs services (health, education and micro-finance) and is also an advocacy organization.

Genesis
ISODEC began as a support service to community based organisations in the largest low-income settlement in Accra organised around the demand for public health services for the municipal council. From an urban health and sanitation base, it grew into predominantly a rural water and sanitation promoting organisation the late 1980s to the mid-90s. In this role, ISODEC piloted what is now known as the national water strategy which has as its premise, decentralised management of water systems and a shift in public resource allocation in the water sector in favour of the rural. From the mid-1990s, ISODEC transformed into an organisation which pays equal attention to basic needs support activities as well as empowerment and socio-economic rights promotion.

Governance
ISODEC is a membership organization with about 40 individual subscribers. It is registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee (a non-profit company) and also with the Ministry of Employment as an NGO. As a non-profit company, the Companies Code regulates its accountability obligations. It has an Executive Council (Board) of 10 members which reports to a General Assembly of Members, the highest policy-making body of the organization.

Structure
ISODEC has a full-time staff of 44. There is a 2-tier management structure: a Senior Management Team(SMT) of 5 and an Expanded Management Team (EMT) of 15, made up of the SMT, heads of programmes and heads of affiliate organizations. The EMT meets quarterly to take stock, allocate resources and plan ahead. Including the affiliate organizations, the ISODEC Family maintains 3 office locations in Accra and one each in Kumasi, Sunyani, Tamale and Bolgatanga. It also supports office structures and work programmes in Nigeria (Ibadan) and Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou).

What we stand for
ISODEC works for sustainable human development through the empowerment of the poor, women, children and the disadvantaged. Our empowerment activities are grounded in the belief that there are rights to global citizenship arising from the essential value of human dignity and freedom. In 2000 ISODEC launched a research and advocacy programme (RBA) aimed at promoting national development alternatives principally in Ghana and, to some extent, in the West Africa sub-region. This programme, sought to: confront the neoliberal policy measures promoted largely by the international donor community; promote accountability by the state to its citizens; instil civil activism through rights awareness creation, rights promotion and defence and economic literacy; and promote social equity through the responsible use of public resources.

ISODEC works in an integrated and multidisciplinary manner linking the grassroots to the national and global to effectively implement its programme. These activities are being executed through two main units - The Centre for Budget Advocacy at the national and West African sub-region and the Media and Campaigns at the grassroot level.

The Centre for Budget Advocacy (CBA)
This programme seeks to analyse and influence the impact of economic policies and external financial and trade facilitating institutions on the well-being of the poor. The CBA promotes public awareness of, and participation in the national and local government budgeting process. The Centre undertakes analyses of the budget, provides training to civil society organization in Ghana and beyond and seeks to influence public resource management (the budget process) in favour of equity and poverty reduction. The CBA is currently sponsoring a major economic modeling effort, the Distributive Effects of Economic Policy (DEEP) Model of Ghana, in aid of analysis of social impacts of macroeconomic and structural adjustment policies.

The Media and Campaigns department (M&C)
Our campaigns track the impacts of global/regional/national rules, global/regional/national institutions (especially trade and finance) and global/regional/national corporations on the basic rights of the people. The department links social groups together in collective campaigns, alongside global initiatives, on the right to essential services and the right to participate in economic policy-making. It works to bring policy debates to the level of the people at the local government and grassroots level through popular communication methods

 
At grassroots level we:
i) provide capacity strengthening support (including training) to organisations
ii) support workers organisations (especially unorganised workers) to promote core ILO labour standards.
iii) promote civic and human rights awareness to groups
iv) provide legal aid to communities and individuals whose rights are trampled upon by those in power.
v) provide economic literacy education to the general public and groups.
vi) provide microfinance services through our subsidiary organisations.
vii) conduct relevant research

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By : Ben
On : 2007-12-16 07:18:56
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