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Mission

ERDI is called to reduce poverty, forms of inequality, promote access to justice and improved livelihood.

Vision

ERDI envisages a society that respects the rights of its citizens and equitable delivery of services and resources.

Purpose

ERDI’s purpose is to promote growth and development approaches that are backed by effective research and planning which is a benchmark for adequately addressing education, health, agriculture, governance, environment, livelihood, gender-based protection, human rights, and peace building needs in order to infinitesimally reduce poverty and all forms of marginalization.


Brief History:

The Efficient Research and Development Institute (ERDI) Inc., is a Liberian registered National Non-for-Profit and Non-governmental Organization established July 3, 2012 as Civil Society Organization by two community development driven philanthropists in persons of Miss. Vera Vakun and Mr. Daniel Nya Gboe in Monrovia and later moved to Ganta City, Nimba County, where the organization is officially headquartered. The idea of forming the organization stems from initiating a community driven respond to the effects of the Liberia Civil War of 1989-2003 and Ebola with specific focus on women and youth including persons with disability. The motivated pair collaborated their efforts to respond to the challenging needs of women and youth in terms of health care, quality education, access to justice, participation in governance, access to land for agriculture activities, violence against women and girls, leadership, equal opportunities, and the likes.

LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE:
Board Members:

ERDI has 5 official Board of Advisors who come with diverse technical backgrounds and support for the organization.

Board Chairman:
Mr. Darlington G. Dahn, MBA, BBA, CITA.
Mr. Dahn serves as Audit Manager at the Liberia Revenue Authority of the Republic of Liberia where he has served for 6 years. He is an entrepreneur, a humanitarian, and a team player. He provides financial and training support to ERDI as well as institutional capacity around financial management and accountability.

Co-Chair on Finance:
Mrs. Vera Vakun Gboe, A.A in Nursing, Certificate in Business Management.
Madam Vera is a well-established businesswoman currently serving as founder and CEO of the City Max Business Center Incorporated where she has served for 16 years. She is one of the founders of ERDI who sought to bring sanity to the lives of women and youth as well as persons with disability. She supports ERDI in terms of its social enterprise initiative which is intended to sustain the organization.

Co-Chair on Program:
Mr. Benedictus S. Dahn, Certificate in Program Management and Logistics.
Mr. Dahn has over 5 years of experience working with local organizations in Liberia including YMCA Liberia, SCIDA, and Peace Empire Incorporated. He currently works at the Supreme Court of Liberia as an Administrative Officer. He provides training to ERDI staff in community driven program design and planning. He also engages in resource mobilization and networking for ERDI.

Co-Chair for Resource Mobilization and Sustainability
Mrs. Zou Bestman, BA in Public Administration, Certificate in Fund Raising, etc.
Zou is a great asset towards the organizational viability and sustainability of ERDI. She is the Founder and CEO of Enjoy the Life of Luxury Inc. in the USA. She provides ERDI’s team basic social enterprise strategies to enhance the sustainability and operations of the organization. She also provides financial and technical support to the organization.

Mr. Hector Saye Lah, BA in Banking and Finance, AA Theology, Certificate in Song Writing.
Mr Lah is the prayer warrior of ERDI. He is highly inspiration in terms of building up our faith and belief in God Almighty. Hector is a Youth Trainer and Senior Adult of the Word of Life Victory Church. He also works as Customer Care Officer at the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment, Ganta Branch.

ERDI Management Team

Executive Director:
Mr. Daniel Nya Gboe, Masters of Arts Education, PGDEdu, B.Sc.
Mr. Gboe is the founded and Executive Director of ERDI. He has worked with ERDI over the last 12 years. He is a humanitarian and development worker with over 20 years of experience working with the YMCA of Liberia, Land Commission of Liberia, IREX, etc. Mr. Gboe also assisted the capacity building and establishment of several organizations in Liberia namely SCIDA, CHESS-Liberia, SEARCH, ARCH, Inter-Visionary Artists, City Max Business Center Incorporated, LISI, etc. He is the key resource mobilization expert of ERDI.

National Program Manager:
Mrs. Jocee M. Tuazama, RN, B.Sc Nursing, Certificate in Development Studies
Mrs. Tuazama is the National Program and Resource Mobilization Manager of ERDI. She joined ERDI in 2022. She is a development worker with huge expertise in the health care and humanitarian response sector. She has over 14 years of work experience with the IRC, YMCA of Liberia, Seeds of Grace Liberia, PWSALA, etc. She designs fund raising strategies and develops project planning and implementation arrangements for ERDI.

National Finance / Administrator:
Mr. Gary K. Dolosie, BA. Business Administration, A.A in Procurement, Certificate in Development Studies.
Mr. Dolosie is the Finance-administrator of ERDI. He joined ERDI in 2020 as a consultant and later became a fulltime staff in 2021. Gary possesses over 13 years of work experience in the finance and management sectors with Americare, Ganta United Methodist Hospital, National Aids Control Program, NENWAH, etc. Gary is an entrepreneur and development worker. He is advancing ERDI financial management policies and systems as well as the sustainability initiatives of ERDI.

Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Officer:
Mr. Aaron S. Garziah, B.Sc. Sociology, AA Monitoring and Evaluation, Certificate in Research and Data Analysis, Certificate in Development Studies.
Mr. Garziah is a highly experienced MEL and Research expert who joined ERDI in 2023. He has over 14 years of work experience serving as Research and MEL officer for Innovation Poverty Action, Yale University, Michigan University, along with a host of local organization in Liberia. Aaron has improved ERDI’s former paper-base MEL system to a digital and online system. As a result of Aaron’s contributions, ERDI now has online servers (SurveyCTO and KOBO Collect) that are currently used for project implementation.

Gender and Social Inclusion Officer:
Angious Korkapeh, B.Sc. Sociology, Certificate Development Studies, etc.
Madam Angious is the Gender and Social Inclusion Officer of ERDI. She is a humanitarian and a feminist advocate in Liberia. She has had over 6 years of experience working in this sector. Angious join ERDI in 2023 improving ERDI’s Gender policy to include Social Inclusion aspect which take into account persons with disability, marginalized group, persons of concern, etc.

Social Enterprise Officer:
Mr. Kelvin Gboe, AA Laboratory Technology, Certificate Agriculture and Rural Development.
Kelvin has 11 years of work experience in community mobilization, advocacy, and project implementation. Kelvin has worked with the Ministry of Health, National Elections Commission, etc.

Communication Officer:
M.C. Allen Kollie, A.A Mass Communication, A.A Agriculture, Certificate in Development Studies, etc.
Allen is the Communication Officer of ERDI who joined the organization in 2019. He has served in several capacities strengthening the operations of ERDI. Allen has over 12 years of work experience with community radio stations, media institutions such as Inter-News and other development organizations such as YMCA of Liberia, The Carter Center, CODRA, etc. Allen is leading the publicity and marketing of ERDI’s programs.