Central Organization for Research and Education (CORE) is a national non-governmental and non-profit organization established in 2012 and registered with the Ministry of Economy of Afghanistan. CORE works to support marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable communities through inclusive humanitarian, development, education, advocacy, capacity-building, and community-based interventions.
CORE’s vision is to create a society where every individual has equal access to essential resources, opportunities, and empowerment. Its mission is to uplift marginalized communities by providing comprehensive resources, advocacy, and capacity-building programs that contribute to sustainable development and social inclusion.
A major focus of CORE’s work is community engagement. The organization applies a participatory approach by working closely with local communities, community leaders, Shuras, civil society organizations, women’s groups, youth, volunteers, and local service structures. Through this approach, CORE ensures that communities are not only beneficiaries of projects but also active participants in identifying needs, planning responses, monitoring services, and sustaining project outcomes.
Women empowerment is also an important area of CORE’s work. CORE has implemented awareness and advocacy initiatives addressing violence against women and has worked with women-focused networks to promote women’s rights, participation, and protection. The organization’s structure also reflects attention to gender-related programming, including gender-based violence, women empowerment, protection, child protection, PSEA, and case management functions.
CORE’s women-focused work includes awareness raising, training, community dialogue, advocacy, and support to women’s participation in decision-making processes. By engaging women in community-level activities and strengthening their access to information, services, and protection mechanisms, CORE contributes to improved social inclusion, dignity, and protection for women and girls.
CORE has also implemented several completed and donor-supported projects across Afghanistan, demonstrating its practical capacity in community engagement, women empowerment, social accountability, food security, agriculture, civil society strengthening, and awareness raising.
CORE implemented a UNDP-funded Community Kitchens project under a Low-Value Grant Agreement in Helmand Province. Through this project, 375 households received daily meals for five months through 15 established community kitchens. The project supported vulnerable families affected by poverty and crisis and included community kitchen establishment, food distribution, and nutrition-related trainings.
CORE implemented a UNDP-funded Almond Orchard Development Project in Zabul Province. Under this project, 750 local farmers were trained on improved almond orchard development practices, and more than 100 almond orchards were developed across four districts of Zabul Province. The project included capacity-building trainings, field visits, technical consultation, and agricultural support.
CORE implemented a community-based monitoring and social audit project with Integrity Watch Afghanistan in Helmand Province. The project focused on monitoring schools and hospitals and reached approximately 5,000 beneficiaries. It supported the establishment and training of community structures, school Shuras, hospital Shuras, school integrity committees, and the Provincial Integrity Network to strengthen transparency, accountability, and improved service delivery.
CORE implemented civil society capacity-building activities under the Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society with financial support from Counterpart International. The project focused on strengthening civil society organizations through training, consultancy, and technical support, helping improve organizational capacity and community-level engagement.
CORE participated in an Afghan Women Network project in Ghazni Province aimed at raising awareness on violence against women in Afghan society. The project used theatre and awareness-raising approaches to promote community dialogue, women’s rights, and social awareness. Services provided included capacity-building training, awareness campaigns, and consultation.
CORE has implemented projects in multiple provinces of Afghanistan and has experience working in diverse social, cultural, and operational contexts. Its national coverage and partnerships with humanitarian and development actors have enabled the organization to build trust with communities and deliver context-sensitive interventions.
CORE maintains a strong commitment to institutional accountability, transparency, and compliance. The organization regularly conducts internal audits to review financial transactions, procurement procedures, asset management, project expenditures, documentation, and operational compliance across its activities. These internal audit processes help ensure that project implementation remains aligned with CORE’s internal policies, donor requirements, approved budgets, and applicable national regulations.
In addition to internal audit practices, CORE usually conducts annual external audits through independent audit firms to provide objective verification of its financial management systems, expenditure records, and organizational compliance. These external audit reports support transparency, strengthen donor confidence, and confirm that CORE’s financial and operational practices are managed according to accepted accounting principles and accountability standards.
CORE’s audit and compliance system covers key areas such as financial management, procurement, human resources, asset control, project documentation, partner coordination, donor reporting, risk management, and safeguarding-related procedures. Regular audit reviews also support organizational learning by identifying areas for improvement and ensuring corrective actions are taken where necessary.
CORE operates through established organizational policies and procedures, including financial management, procurement, human resources, monitoring and evaluation, safeguarding, PSEA, protection, risk management, and accountability mechanisms. These systems ensure proper segregation of duties, transparent approval processes, documentation of expenditures, and responsible use of donor and organizational resources.
CORE’s key service areas include education, agriculture and food security, health, WASH, environment, rural development, disaster risk management, shelter, protection, child protection, research, and development. These sectors allow CORE to address the multi-dimensional needs of communities, particularly women, children, displaced households, vulnerable families, and underserved groups.
Through its community-based monitoring work, CORE has demonstrated strong experience in social accountability, public service monitoring, and community participation. Through its women-focused awareness initiatives, CORE has contributed to dialogue and awareness on violence against women and women’s rights. Through its livelihood and food security projects, CORE has supported vulnerable households, farmers, and crisis-affected families.
Overall, CORE is a community-rooted organization with strong experience in empowering vulnerable populations, promoting women’s participation, strengthening local accountability, improving community engagement, and delivering donor-supported projects. Its participatory and inclusive approach, combined with regular internal and external audit practices, positions CORE as a reliable, transparent, and accountable organization for initiatives focused on women empowerment, community mobilization, social inclusion, protection, accountability, and sustainable development in Afghanistan.