1. AADA: Strategy Planning Trainings
AADA successfully launched Strategic Planning Workshop for year 2011-2014 on July 06-
08, 2011
It has been rightly stated that ‘failure to plan is amount to planning for
failure’. This statement firmly signifies the importance of strategic contemplation for a brighter
future of the organization to be in a better position to serve people in need. In fact, organizational
strategic plan is a roadmap/blueprint for an organization to determine its orientation for forward
movement toward development and further expansion. It helps in maintaining a focused, long
term vision of the organization’s mission and purpose, and aid decisions about the allocation of
human and financial resources.
The planned workshop was facilitated by veteran public health experts from Canada in a highly
participatory manner. It was started with an extensive review of the programs of Agency for
Assistance and Development of Afghanistan (AADA) in Afghanistan. The lessons learned and
recommendations from participants of theworkshop set a firm foundation for realistic and
practical strategic planning. State of art guidance of the facilitators on how to consolidate the
previous gains with future strategies and recommendations ensured that a feasible strategic plan
is developed in the light of the mission and vision of AADA.
Techniques for effective organization governance and development were also imparted
throughout this workshop. This event served not only as opportunity for developing strategic
plan but was also an invaluable forum for capacity building by reconciling practical field
experience with the theoretical knowledge imparted byfacilitators who also have extensive field
experience in Afghanistan and other countries having similar settings. This was an outstanding
experience of learning through exposure and intuitive interface to a real situation which is rarely
possible to be achieved in institutional settings.
Objectives
The following objectives were successfully achieved:
1. To have the progress of AADAs reviewed and all participants updated about
achievements, problems, constraints, and lessons learnt to be instrumental for
overcoming challenges at national and provincial level toward the attainment of strategic

2. goals set in this workshop.
2. To identify strategic priorities and discuss short-term and long term goals of AADA and
develop three-year organizational strategic plan for the year 2011-2014 based the
recommendations of the presentations, state-of-art insights by the facilitators, and SWOC
analysis
3. To promote the capacity of the staff of AADA, partner agencies and other portfolio
organizations on Organization Governance, ‘Program Leadership’-Community-based
Healthcare Model’
Methodology
The program had been designed in a very interactive manner. A lot of group activities,
arguments/counter arguments, discussions, and individual exercises were taken into
consideration. Adopting this methodology ensured a strategic direction and orientation for the
organization through a step by step approach toward setting a strategic direction and achieving
the aforementioned objectives.
Program Outline
1. Consolidating past gains for prevailing future challenges: Overtly, strengths could be
overwhelmingly instrumental in correcting weakness. Skills in discerning key strengths
and utilizing them may differ though. The workshop served as an interactive interface
and offered opportunities where such skills could be sharpened through lessons learned,
success stories, that were complemented by cutting-edge knowledge by the facilitators
2. Using past failures as bridges for success in the future: What have been the strengths and
opportunities that could or could not be used for fixing weaknesses and prevailing
Challenges. What caused the failures and, in the organizational context, what deterring
strategies should be proactively designed to ensure success in the future? How an
effective risk/assumption analysis could be carried out and mitigating strategies are
developed accordingly. All these questions constituted the mainstay of this workshop
3. Organization development and better governance: Review of the organization vision,
mission, and strategic priorities. Role of AADA board of directors and Executive
Management in the process. Discussions were made on the next steps for finalization of
three-year Strategic Plan as well as Annual Operation Implementation. Planning and
Evaluation Framework for the Measurement of Impact was developed.
Facilitators’ Profile

3. Dr Roohullah Shabon, who facilitated this workshop, is one of the
founders of AADA and member of its management board. Since inception of the organization he
has provided prima facie support by providing governance and strategic direction to the
leadership.
Dr Shabon is Professor and Faculty Advisor in Seneca College Toronto, Canada. His education
background is a teacher, a medical doctor, MBA, PMP and Diploma in DTM&H and Child
Psychology.
He has worked as Regional Director for Middle East & Asia and Chief Technical Advisor with
Government, United Nation, international humanitarian and development agencies including the
World Health Organization, International Medical Corps, Swedish Committee, and Association
of Ontario Community Health Centers, Right to Play International, Information Communication
Technology Council, Community Support Service Network and Save the Children Headquarters
in Washington DC.
During past 20 years, he is working in organization governance, policy and system development,
strategy planning, multi-sectoral program implementation and change management, peace
building, disaster preparedness and response, humanitarian work, capacity building, community
based rehabilitation and reconstruction in more than 20 countries around the world. Shabon has
received many recognition including best organization annual performance award (2004) during
is his work with Internal Displaced People during conflict in West Darfur of Sudan.
Dr. Shabon led many disaster preparedness and response projects as well as
development/reconstruction programs. Some examples of his achievements include:
• Primary health care program for refugees, returnees and internally displaced population
in Afghanistan
• Refresher training of Afghan medical doctors with International Medical Corps (IMC)
in Pakistan
• Emergency and rehabilitation planning and implementation during conflicts in Iraq
• Planning and response for H1N1 pandemic management, Ontario, Canada.
• Adoption of Electronic Health Record for all Community Health Centre in Ontario,
Canada
• Governance training to board of directors and executive team of Community Health

4. Centre Ontario, Canada
• Strategic planning for middle east and Asia regional offices in Dubai and Thailand
• Initiating the concept of Therapeutic Feeding Program (TFC) to Community Based
Therapeutic Centre (CTC) during drought in Ethiopia and Sudan;
• Integrating short-term emergency projects with development programs for refugees,
internally displaced population and returnees in Thailand, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan
Dr Roohullah Shabon has shared his experience with many organization’ leaderships and in class
with many university and college students and will be very happy to present his relevant
experience with you during his mission in Afghanistan.