About us

Associazione italiana donne per lo sviluppo

The journey of AIDOS began in 1981, with the founding of the Italian Association of Women for Development (AIDOS), a women’s association and non-governmental cooperation organisation, recognised in 1992 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a body eligible to manage public funds for the implementation of development cooperation projects. Today, it is a Third Sector Body, registered with the Single National Register of the Third Sector of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies.
Since its foundation, AIDOS has worked – in several countries in the Global South, in Europe and in Italy – to build, promote and defend the rights, dignity and freedom of choice of women and girls. Work that it also carries out through active participation in various UN processes.

AIDOS works in partnership with local organisations and institutions, to provide tools to women and their organisations, especially in areas where the experience of the Italian and international feminist movement has borne the most significant fruits, such as sexual and reproductive health and rights, freedom from gender-based violence, economic empowerment and more. AIDOS approach therefore stems from an uninterrupted and equal dialogue with women’s and non-governmental organisations from all over the world dealing with human rights, women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights.

AIDOS has special consultative status at ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council of the United Nations), and is strategic partner in Italy of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund).

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Our projects

How we work

AIDOS approach means first and foremost strengthening the technical, management and organisational skills and capacities of partner organisations and individual workers in all projects.

There are therefore no expensive field offices: resources are used to support the local organisation, the project partner, in terms of specific training, technical assistance, monitoring missions and evaluation of results, according to the needs identified during the design and implementation of activities. This is why the AIDOS approach succeeds in guaranteeing the sustainability of projects and thus their continuation, even after the end of funding and the so-called “formal closure”.

For technical assistance and monitoring, AIDOS employs expert consultants of international standing: gynaecologists, midwives, psychologists, economists, communication and advocacy experts, highly motivated, who put their great skills at the service of women and marginalised communities.

AIDOS also recognises the central importance of management counselling and training, as well as financial monitoring, which is carried out directly by the Association’s administrative team.

AIDOS cooperates with partner organisations in different countries for the joint construction of projects targeting the specific needs of women and girls and the development of shared strategies. It is also part of several networks of organisations, both nationally and internationally. Our activities on the ground aim at creating favourable structural conditions for sustainable development.

The same can be said of campaigns, which, by creating awareness of the issues addressed, promote the empowerment of women and entire communities.

Solving the specific problem of a particular community, which is necessarily circumscribed, is not enough: it is necessary to positively influence government policies to help improve the living conditions of all women and the population of the country concerned. For this reason, all AIDOS projects also include important information and advocacy work.

Mission

Membership structure

Members

Members are at the very core of AIDOS. The essential requirement to be a member is to share our mission for professional, social, political or personal reasons. To become a member, simply send a written request to the Board of Directors, indicating your name, contact details and reasons with a brief note on your profession and interests. The annual membership fee is € 50.

Board of Directors

Every three years the Annual Members’ Assembly appoints the Board of Directors, which is formed by the President, the Vice-President, and a number of Councilors.