Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) held a One-Day Staff capacity building retreat with the theme, “Renew to Sustain”, aimed at strengthening team cohesion and communication, renew minds, reflect on the organization’s mission, reflect on past achievements and set goals for the upcoming year, through collaborative activities and discussion.  

The meeting which held on Tuesday, the 22nd of October at the office complex in Ughelli, Delta State, was attended by the executives of CODAF, staff and volunteers.

In his opening remark, Executive Director of CODAF, Benin Richard welcomed the team to the first staff retreat, which he described as a momentous occasion to reconnect, recharge, and refocus. He appreciated the team for their tireless efforts in advancing the CODAF's mission.

“Over the past year, we've made significant strides in empowering rural communities, and it's a testament to your dedication, hard work, and teamwork. This retreat offers us a unique opportunity to strengthen our bonds as a team, reflect on our accomplishments and lessons learned, align ourselves with our organization's purpose, chart a course for the upcoming year.”

Presenting a document on “Human Rights Based Approach and Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity” Co-Founder of CODAF, Ubrei-Joe Maimoni Mariere highlighted the acronym, “PLANET” as a tool that guides staff on the practical application of the Human Rights Based Approach. He listed Participation, Links to human rights, Accountability, Non-discrimination, Empowerment and capacity development and Transparency as the CODAF mode of operation and approach to its work.

Drawing examples from biblical stories in 1 Samuel 15 and Esther 3, he highlighted the mission and vision of CODAF and how it relates to the work of bridging the communication gap between policy makers and the grassroots, and raise awareness of rural dwellers by empowering them to be active players in environmental decision making.

The CODAF retreat also featured a brainstorming session to map out the organization’s vision for the next one to three years.

The meeting involved discussion, interaction, team-building activities and strategic planning sessions.

Partner organizations that participated are AFrican Center for Environment and Rural Development (ACERD) and Neferok Development Initiative (NeDI).