Formation | 1991 |
---|---|
Type | nonprofit organization |
Purpose | Humanitarian and development work |
Headquarters | Nairobi, Kenya |
Region served | Horn of Africa, East Africa |
Executive Director | Degan Ali |
Staff | ~300 |
Website | www.adesoafrica.org |
Adeso (previously Horn Relief) is Nairobi-based humanitarian non-governmental organization.[1][2]
History
Adeso was founded in Connecticut, in 1991 by Fatima Jibrell, initially known as Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization with a mandate to provide a response to humanitarian needs in Somalia in the context of the Somali civil war and its effects on her homeland of Somalia.[3]
In 1998, the organizations changed its name to Horn Relief,[4] it began its Pastoral Youth Leadership Program in the Sanaag region of Somalia, known then as the Buran Rural Institute. The first class had 41 boys and 24 girls.[citation needed]
In 2001, the organization held its first Camel Caravan in Somalia, where twenty young people walked for three weeks with nomadic pastoralists to learn about the environment, animal and human health, and peacemaking.
In 2002, in response to Fatima Jibrell’s advocacy work, the Puntland Government banned the export of charcoal in the region. Also in 2002, the organization's founder Fatima Jibrell, won the international Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa.[5]
In 2003, the organization implemented the first large-scale cash transfer program in Somalia,[6] and its deputy director at the time, Degan Ali, developed the first cash-transfer training curriculum to educate internal staff and partner agencies.
In 2006, Fatima Jibrell retired as executive director, and was succeeded by her daughter Degan Ali. The following year, Fatima Jibrell won the National Geographic/Buffet Award for Leadership in African Conservation,[7] and the organization publishes a cash transfer implementation manual.[8]
In 2010, the organization started its first country program in Kenya, and in 2011 it opened its first country program outside of the Horn of Africa, in South Sudan.
In 2012, the organization changed its name from Horn Relief to Adeso, to reflect its expansion outside of the Horn of Africa, and its emphasis on development rather than simply relief work.[citation needed]
In 2014, Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi joined Adeso as a voluntary Goodwill Ambassador, to help give back to his country of birth through visibility and outreach.[9]
In 2019 Adeso pushed for a shift of power towards locally-community run humanitarian organizations.[10]
In 2021 Adeso were one of the 286 organizations chosen by MacKenzie Scott to receive a share of her US$2.7billion unrestricted donation.[11]
Services provided
Education
According to Adeso, One of their goals is the education of students to help them build life skills.[citation needed]Training programs however go beyond schools and also include (according to Adeso):
- Helping vulnerable people improve their livelihood or gain a new livelihood altogether;
- Promoting disaster risk reduction strategies at the community level;
- Encouraging good hygiene and sanitation practices to improve community health;
- Promoting sustainable natural resource management to better protect livelihoods like pastoralism;
- Building the capacity of the humanitarian community to deliver cash transfer programs.
Humanitarian aid
Adeso’s responses include emergency cash-based interventions, water trucking, distribution of non-food items, and the rehabilitation of water sources – often crucial as most emergencies are drought-related.
Economic development
Adeso works to strengthen local economies and protect communities from future shocks. Adeso looks at the skills that are required in new local economies before designing the training programs to equip local people with these skills. Sometimes, this can be as simple – but as crucial – as supporting initiatives that teach basic literacy and numeracy skills. Adeso also assists by for example helping farmers bolster their production or helping entrepreneurs establish new jobs.
Advocacy
Adeso advocates on behalf of the communities they work with, giving them a voice on a local and international stage, and ensuring their interests and concerns are considered at the highest level.
Advocacy efforts cover topics such as illegal overfishing in Somali waters[12] and the importance of allowing cash remittances into Somalia.[13]
Offices
Adeso has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and is recognized as a charity in the UK, Kenya and the United States. According to its 2012 Annual Report, the organization has nine field offices: four in Kenya, three in Somalia, and an additional two in South Sudan. There are approximately 45 staff in the Nairobi office and nearly 250 staff in field offices. The 2012 revenues for Adeso were $25 million.[14]
Key people
- Fatima Jibrell, Founder.[3]
- Degan Ali, Executive Director.[1]
References
- ^ a b The Editorial Board (2021-02-13). "Opinion | Foreign Aid Is Having a Reckoning". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ "How COVID-19 Is Shifting the North-South Philanthropic Power Dynamic (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ a b "Climate for conflict". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ Fiegl, Amanda (2014-11-26). "A Somali Aid Worker Would Rather Give Out Cash Than Free Food". NPR. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ "Fatima Jibrell". Goldman Environmental Foundation. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "EVALUATION OF CASH RELIEF PROGRAMMEIMPLEMENTED BY HORN RELIEFCOMMISSIONED BY NOVIB/OXFAM NETHERLANDS" (PDF). 2012-08-24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
- ^ "Our Explorers | National Geographic Society".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Neumyer, Scott (2014-01-21). "Barkhad Abdi Talks Captain Phillips, Oscar Nominations & Giving Back to Somalia". Parade. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Are INGOs ready to give up power?". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ Alexandra Hutzler (2021-06-15). "MacKenzie Scott donates $2.7B to charity; here's which organizations were recipients". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ Hatcher, Jessica. "Illegal overfishing and the return of Somalia's pirates". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ "Somalis panic as cash flow dries up after U.S. remittance lifeline cut". Reuters. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)