Governance and leadership
Leadership
AWEDO’s leadership structure is designed to support strong governance, responsible management, transparent decision-making, and effective programme implementation. The organization is guided by a Board of Directors and led by executive leadership, with technical and operational departments supporting programme delivery at national and provincial levels.
AWEDO promotes accountability, compliance, safeguarding, and responsible use of organizational and donor resources. Its leadership and management systems help ensure that programmes are implemented professionally, ethically, and in line with the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
Governance Structure
AWEDO is governed by a Board of Directors that provides strategic oversight, institutional guidance, and accountability support to the organization. The Board helps ensure that AWEDO remains aligned with its mission, values, strategic priorities, legal responsibilities, and commitments to communities, partners, and stakeholders.
The governance structure supports transparency, internal control, policy compliance, conflict-of-interest prevention, and responsible organizational management. The Board reviews organizational performance, supports strategic planning, provides guidance on institutional development, and helps strengthen AWEDO’s long-term sustainability.
AWEDO’s governance and management structure includes the Board of Directors, Executive Director, Program Department, Finance and Administration Department, Human Resources Department, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Department, Gender and Women’s Empowerment Function, Procurement and Logistics Function, and Provincial Coordination and Project Implementation Teams.
Mrs. Fahima Fazli
Executive Director and Board Member
Mrs. Fahima Fazli leads AWEDO as Executive Director and is responsible for overall organizational leadership, strategic management, external relations, partnership coordination, policy implementation, programme oversight, fundraising, and institutional development.
The Executive Director works closely with the Board of Directors to implement AWEDO’s mission, strategic goals, approved policies, and organizational priorities. This role includes supervising senior staff, approving work plans and budgets, ensuring compliance with internal policies and donor requirements, strengthening partnerships, and representing AWEDO with government authorities, donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.
Kalimullah Shinwari
Chairman, Board of Directors
Kalimullah Shinwari chairs the AWEDO Board of Directors. In this role, he supports strategic oversight, governance, institutional accountability, and responsible organizational direction.
The Chairperson supports the Board in providing guidance to executive leadership and helping AWEDO remain effective, transparent, and responsive to the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable communities.
Executive Leadership
AWEDO’s executive leadership is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organization and the implementation of approved strategies, policies, work plans, and budgets. Executive leadership ensures that programmes are implemented in accordance with donor requirements, Afghan laws, internal procedures, and AWEDO’s values of transparency, inclusion, accountability, and service to communities.
The Executive Director oversees organizational policies and procedures related to human resources, finance, procurement, administration, safeguarding, communication, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and project management. This leadership role also strengthens coordination between governance, programme implementation, staff management, and community-focused priorities.
Board Of Directors
AWEDO’s Board of Directors is composed of five members with diverse experience in organizational leadership, women’s empowerment, community development, education, civil society engagement, and programme oversight.
The Board of Directors is chaired by Kalimullah Shinwari. Mrs. Fahima Fazli, Executive Director of AWEDO, also serves as a Board Member. Other members of the Board include Palwasha Ahad, Sania Azizi, and Khalid Safi.
The Board provides strategic guidance and oversight to support AWEDO’s institutional growth, accountability, and responsible management. Its key responsibilities include reviewing organizational performance, supporting strategic planning, strengthening internal controls, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and internal policies, reviewing budgets and audit processes, promoting conflict-of-interest prevention, and safeguarding the responsible use of organizational and donor resources.
The Board also supports executive leadership in maintaining AWEDO’s mission-driven approach and ensuring that programmes remain responsive to the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable communities.
Management And Departmental Structure
AWEDO’s management structure is designed to support effective programme delivery at national and provincial levels. The organization works through its head office and project-based provincial teams, including project staff, coordinators, field officers, trainers, community mobilizers, and focal points.
- Program Department: Responsible for project design, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, reporting, and completion in line with AWEDO’s mission, strategic priorities, donor requirements, and community needs.
- Finance and Administration Department: Responsible for financial management, budgeting, accounting, reporting, office administration, asset management, records management, transport coordination, and general operational support. For AWEDO’s current structure, this function may be managed by a Finance and Administration Officer. As the organization expands, the position may be upgraded to Finance and Administration Manager with separate finance, administration, and logistics staff.
- Human Resources Department: Maintained as a separate function to promote fairness, accountability, staff welfare, recruitment quality, personnel management, staff contracts, attendance, leave management, performance support, grievance handling, and implementation of AWEDO’s code of conduct and HR policies.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Department: Supports measurement of project progress, quality, results, and impact, including monitoring tools, data collection, assessments, field verification, progress reporting, lessons learned, feedback mechanisms, and learning-based programme improvement.
- Gender and Women’s Empowerment Function: Supports AWEDO’s core mission to promote the dignity, rights, participation, safety, and leadership of women and girls, and helps ensure programmes are gender-sensitive, inclusive, culturally appropriate, and responsive to women’s and girls’ needs.
- Procurement and Logistics Function: Supports transparent procurement, supply management, transport coordination, inventory control, asset management, and logistical arrangements through fair, competitive, and properly documented procedures.
- Provincial Coordination and Project Implementation Teams: Implement field activities, coordinate with communities and local stakeholders, support beneficiary engagement, and report through the Program Department for supervision, coordination, and quality control.
Reporting Lines
The Board of Directors provides governance and strategic oversight. The Executive Director leads the organization and reports to the Board of Directors. Department heads and key officers report to the Executive Director or designated senior management, depending on the size of the organization and project requirements.
Project and provincial teams report through the Program Department, while support departments provide finance, administration, human resources, procurement, logistics, monitoring, accountability, and technical support. This structure enables AWEDO to manage projects professionally, maintain transparency, protect staff and beneficiaries, and deliver quality services to women, girls, and vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
