By: P.Uriah Suah
Ganta, Nimba county …..The Efficient Research and Development Institute (ERDI) has officially broken ground for the construction of its new headquarters in New Gbeisella Town, District #2, Nimba County.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, the organization’s Advisory Board Chairman, Mr. Darlington Dahn, outlined the purpose of the event and the significance of the new headquarters. He emphasized that the building would not only serve as a functional office but also as a symbol of hope, justice, and equity. He highlighted that the headquarters will act as a hub for addressing critical humanitarian issues such as the advocacy for SGBV survivors, land rights, equitable healthcare, and other causes the organization is dedicated to.
” The building we are going to be putting down here is going to be not only a house for operations but also will also be symbolizing our commitment to justice, equity and dignity for all and it will be a place where ideas are going to be be bloom , voices are going to be amplify, and solutions are to be crafted to address the pressing challenges of our time”, he emphasized .
Mr. Dahn expressed his gratitude for the support from ERDI’s donor partners and announced his personal contribution of 50 bags of cement, with an additional 20 bags pledged by the board. He called on other institutions and community members to join in supporting the project.
“We wouldn’t have started this project without the generous funding and support of our partners. They believed in our mission, and their investment in the vision that will transform lives and strengthen communities is something we truly appreciate”, Dahn maintained .
The official groundbreaking and fundraising event brought together numerous individuals and institutions, many of whom pledged both financial and moral support for the new headquarters.
Founded in 2012, ERDI, a non-governmental organization (NGO), faced serious challenges during its early years. Mr. Daniel Nyah Gboe, a YMCA trainee and the institution’s founder, revealed that the institution came to light during his birthday celebration with no funding and donor support but instead used his personal resources to register the organization and process all documentation.
From humble grassroots beginnings, ERDI has grown rapidly and now employs 27 staff members and board members. The organization is currently implementing projects in partnership with national and international organizations, including USAID, UNDP, ForumCIV, PSI, DAI, and All We Can, in counties such as Lofa, Bong, Grand Gedeh, and Nimba.
Remarking at the occasion , Daniel Riche, the Executive Director of Supporting Citizens Initiatives for Development in Africa (SCIDA), commended ERDI for its initiative, noting that it is rare for grassroots organizations to undertake such ambitious projects.
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“Honestly, I am impressed by the fact that it is not common to see a grassroots organization like ERDI undertaking these kinds of initiatives in Liberia. There are many organizations implementing programs worth thousands of dollars, yet some of them are not focused on such initiatives. For ERDI, coming from this community and implementing such a huge project, is something I am impressed by as a Executive Director of an institution,” Riche noted.
He further stated that ERDI’s future headquarters would have a significant impact on the civil society organization (CSO) sector and local communities, encouraging other CSOs to follow suit and build more sustainable organizations.
The Efficient Research and Development Institute funded by USAID and facilitated by PSI, is focusing on improving toilet facilities for community members and partnering with DAI to monitor donated drugs for free usage.
At the same time , the organization is actively involved in tracking SGBV cases and facilitating their progression through the special SGBV court in Sanniquellie, ensuring thorough legal processes for such cases.
Additionally, ERDI is currently implementing a project for UNDP on conducting training for Women CSOs in Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Prevention and Respond and Monitoring the Efficiency of such a process.
ERDI and ForumCIV signed a four year grant in 2022 to ensure and improve access to Land-rights for women in Grand Gedeh County and the grant is part of funding received by Forum CIV from the Embassy of Sweden near Monrovia to implement a four year program.
