Apopo

What Apopo does

APOPO is a Belgian non-profit social enterprise founded in 2000 with operational headquarters at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, Tanzania. The organization researches, trains, and deploys African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei), branded as HeroRATs, alongside detection dogs branded as HeroDOGs, to identify explosive compounds in soil and tuberculosis biomarkers in sputum samples. The animals are conditioned through clicker-based positive reinforcement training, can screen a tennis-court-sized area in roughly 30 minutes, and are too light to trigger landmines. APOPO runs field programs in 12+ countries across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe (Cambodia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Türkiye, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Senegal, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand), serving national mine action authorities (CMAC, ANAMA, CNIDAH), research institutes (AHRI, Eduardo Mondlane University), UN agencies (UNDP), and humanitarian NGOs (MAG, Humanity & Inclusion).

Revenue is generated through a diversified non-profit funding stack: institutional grants from FCDO, the European Union, and the governments of Belgium, Flanders, Japan, and Germany; foundation grants from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Skoll, and People's Postcode Lottery; individual donations and monthly virtual animal adoption subscriptions (from 12 EUR/month for HeroRAT or HeroDOG sponsorships); corporate sponsorship; merchandise sales through the APOPO store; results-based financing via a Development Impact Bond with FCDO for the Cambodia Minefields to Rice Fields program; and Peace Rice retail sales through Khmer Organic Cooperative outlets in Cambodia. Go-to-market combines institutional direct sales (government-to-government contracts and NGO subcontracting), community engagement through mine risk education and the Siem Reap Visitor Centre, and direct-to-consumer fundraising through digital channels.

Name

Apopo

Legal name

APOPO

Website

https://apopo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

APOPO is a Belgian non-profit social enterprise that trains African giant pouched rats (HeroRATs) and detection dogs (HeroDOGs) to screen for landmines and tuberculosis, delivering humanitarian mine action and TB detection services to national governments, NGOs, and mine-affected communities across 12+ countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Mine Action Services

NAICS

Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) (BPADADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Reduction (EOD/ERW) (BPADAFAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian demining services
• Tuberculosis detection
• Scent detection animals
• Mine action programs
• Explosive ordnance clearance

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerpen

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue source from individual donors, major institutional donors (FCDO, EU, Governments of Belgium/Flanders/Japan/Germany), and foundations (Howard G. Buffett, Skoll, People's Postcode Lottery). Includes one-time, monthly, and annual giving.
2. Virtual Animal Adoption Programs: Monthly or annual recurring subscriptions for virtual adoption of HeroRATs and HeroDOGs (from 12 EUR/month). Adopters receive digital welcome packs, adoption certificates, and monthly impact updates.
3. Development Impact Bond (DIB) - Results-Based Financing: APOPO's Minefields to Rice Fields program in Cambodia is funded through a DIB where the FCDO pays upon independently verified land release outcomes. Funding tied directly to measured results rather than activities.
4. HeroGIFTs and Merchandise: Gifts catalog including items sold through the APOPO store, including branded merchandise.
5. Peace Rice Sales: Rice grown on APOPO-cleared land is marketed and sold through Khmer Organic Shop, APOPO Visitor Centre, and Sister Srey café in Siem Reap, creating a revenue stream linked to clearance outcomes.
6. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support specific programs or operational costs. Dedicated corporate sponsorship opportunities are listed on the APOPO website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Apopo is a Belgian non-profit organization that trains African giant pouched rats (HeroRATs) and detection dogs (HeroDOGs) to find landmines, unexploded ordnance, and tuberculosis. It delivers humanitarian mine action services and TB screening to governments, NGOs, and health systems across more than a dozen countries, supplemented by fundraising programs (virtual adoptions, donations, merchandise, Peace Rice) and victim assistance.

Product overview

APOPO is a Belgian non-profit organization that operates a multi-program humanitarian platform built around trained scent detection animals. The core offerings include HeroRATs for landmine detection and tuberculosis screening, supplemented by HeroDOGs for technical survey work, and emerging RescueRATs for search and rescue. Supporting initiatives include the HeroTREEs carbon sequestration program, an Animal Adoption Program for supporter engagement, a Visitor Center for education, and Victim Assistance services for landmine survivors. The organization works across multiple countries including Tanzania, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and others, funded through donations, corporate sponsorship, and results-based financing mechanisms like Development Impact Bonds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HeroRATs: African giant pouched rats trained to detect landmines and tuberculosis, APOPO's signature scent detection animals
• HeroDOGs
• Peace Rice
• HeroTREEs
• RescueRATs

Products and services

• HeroRATs (Landmine Detection) Trained African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) that detect landmines and unexploded ordnance by scent. They are too light to trigger mines and can survey a tennis-court-sized area in roughly 30 minutes versus up to 4 days for a human deminer with a metal detector. Delivered as a contracted service to national mine action authorities in Cambodia, Angola, Azerbaijan, and other mine-affected countries.
• HeroRATs (Tuberculosis Detection) Trained African giant pouched rats that evaluate patient sputum samples to identify tuberculosis cases missed by conventional microscopy. A team of rats can screen roughly 100 samples in 20 minutes, and the program has been associated with a ~40% increase in TB detection rates versus standard microscopy. Delivered in partnership with health ministries and research institutes in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
• HeroDOGs (Landmine Detection) Trained technical survey dogs deployed alongside HeroRATs to rapidly survey large areas and confirm or deny the presence of explosives. HeroDOGs release non-contaminated land without requiring vegetation clearing, complementing conventional manual demining teams. The Cambodia Dog Training Center supervises 36 dogs and a team of trainers.
• RescueRATs Specially trained rats developed for urban search and rescue operations following natural disasters such as earthquakes and cyclones, designed to locate survivors trapped under debris. Operated as an experimental humanitarian capability in partnership with GEA.
• HeroTREEs Reforestation and carbon sequestration program using syntropic agroforestry to restore soil health and productive farming systems on land released from mine contamination. Connects post-clearance land use to long-term livelihoods for affected farmers.
• Animal Adoption Program Subscription-based virtual adoption program allowing individual supporters worldwide to sponsor HeroRATs or HeroDOGs from 12 EUR per month. Adopters receive digital welcome packs, adoption certificates, and monthly impact updates on specific animals including Ronin, Imeldo, Baraka, Carolina, Tamasha, Mannes, Cyklon, and Gizmo.
• APOPO Visitor Center Physical educational visitor center near Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia where tourists can learn about the landmine detection process, see HeroRATs in training, hold a rat, and purchase Peace Rice and merchandise. Functions as both an education channel and a retail touchpoint.
• Victim Assistance Program Support services for landmine survivors including transport to rehabilitation centers, prosthetic limb fitting and replacement support, and physiotherapy delivered in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion in Cambodia.
• Peace Rice Branded rice product grown on land cleared of landmines by APOPO in Cambodia, marketed and sold through Khmer Organic Shop, Sister Srey cafe, and the APOPO Visitor Centre in Siem Reap. Operates under a Development Impact Bond with FCDO and links clearance outcomes to farmer income.

Quantifiable outcome

• 288x faster landmine detection than human deminers with metal detectors
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Khmer Organic CooperativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026APOPO collaborates with Khmer Organic Cooperative to process and distribute Peace Rice grown on cleared land. The cooperative manages rice processing and distribution through local outlets (Khmer Organic Shop, Sister Srey café, APOPO Visitor Centre), creating a direct link between mine clearance and agricultural livelihoods.
• Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CMAA is the national coordinating authority for mine action in Cambodia. APOPO collaborates with CMAA for mine risk education projects, in coordination with provincial education units.
• Mines Advisory Group (MAG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with MAG for deployment of APOPO TSD and MDR teams in Ukraine (Kharkiv and Mykolaiv Oblasts) and previously in Cambodia. MAG sub-contracts APOPO animal detection teams, with EU and UNDP providing funding. APOPO has worked with MAG since 2020.
• GEA (Mother Earth)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023APOPO collaborates with GEA (founded 1994, Turkey) on the RescueRATs project, integrating trained African giant pouched rats into search and rescue operations. GEA experts (including Murat Beşparmak and Sefa Belgücan) visit APOPO's Tanzania training facility to advise on mock debris site design and operational deployment scenarios.
• ANAMA (Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ANAMA is the government agency coordinating mine action in Azerbaijan. APOPO's HeroRAT and HeroDOG teams are accredited by ANAMA and work in the Aghdam region under this partnership, with EU funding supporting the collaborative clearance effort.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023UNDP is the lead coordinating agency for APOPO's programs in Azerbaijan (launched 2023) and Ukraine. UNDP manages the EU funding and coordinates multiple implementing partners (MAG, IEPF, APOPO) in Karabakh region clearance efforts.
• StopTB PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Global coalition working to eliminate TB. APOPO participates as a partner organization contributing innovative detection solutions to the global TB response effort.
• Humanity & InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership agreement signed in 2021 for victim assistance in Cambodia. Humanity & Inclusion provides prosthetic limbs while APOPO supports transport to rehabilitation centers and clinics, enabling landmine victims to access fittings, repairs, and replacements.
• The Development Initiative (TDI)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021TDI is a UN-managed contractor for demining projects. APOPO provided Technical Survey Dog teams under a TDI contract in South Sudan, providing income that supports APOPO's own operations. Also partnered in Türkiye under the UNDP Eastern Border Mine Clearance Project.
• Centro Nacional de Desminagem (CNIDAH) AngolacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership with Angola's national mine action institute (formerly INAD) since 2021 for deployment of mine detection rats in Cuanza Sul province. CNIDAH assigns tasks and provides institutional coordination for APOPO's operations.
• Mines Advisory Group (MAG) - CambodiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020MAG began using APOPO's animals alongside their teams in Cambodia from 2020, increasing operational capacity through combined approach of animal detection and conventional methods.
• Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Primary research partner for APOPO's TB detection program in Ethiopia since 2018. AHRI hosts the program and provides research infrastructure, Dr. Kidist Bobosha leads the Mycobacterial Diseases Research Department and is a key collaborator. Also hosts the RUPAA project for community TB screening.
• Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau (AACAHB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Government health authority partner for APOPO's TB detection program in Ethiopia, providing access to health centers for sputum sample collection and supporting national TB control efforts.
• Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015SUA in Morogoro, Tanzania hosts APOPO's Training and Innovation headquarters. All HeroRATs are born and trained at this center. The partnership provides academic infrastructure, research collaboration, and institutional credibility.
• Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Primary operational partner for APOPO's mine action program in Cambodia since 2014. APOPO's HeroRAT and HeroDOG detection teams work alongside CMAC's conventional demining teams across 4 provinces. CMAC provides institutional framework, national coordination, and accreditation of APOPO's animal detection teams.
• Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012APOPO established its TB detection facility in partnership with the Veterinary School of Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo in 2012. The facility, operational since 2013 and expanded in 2018 with GeneXpert machines, is situated on university grounds.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• HALO Trust: The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian mine clearance organization, operating in 30+ countries with similar funding model (governments, EU, foundations). It is the closest direct comparable to APOPO in terms of mine action mission, donor mix, and program scale, though it relies primarily on manual clearance teams rather than animal detection.
• FSD (Fondation Suisse de Déminage): FSD is a Swiss humanitarian demining NGO comparable in size and structure to APOPO, operating in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia with similar government and foundation funding. Both are mid-sized humanitarian mine action operators with comparable donor profiles and operational scope.
• Norwegian People's Aid: Norwegian People's Aid is a major international humanitarian demining operator active in 20+ countries with a similar mix of government and private foundation funding. Comparable to APOPO in mission, scale, and donor profile, though it relies on conventional clearance methods rather than animal-assisted detection.
• Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International): Humanity & Inclusion is APOPO's partner in victim assistance in Cambodia and a global peer in the broader mine action ecosystem. Both organizations operate in overlapping mine-affected geographies and share similar institutional donors, with HI focused on rehabilitation rather than clearance.
• Mines Advisory Group (MAG): MAG is one of APOPO's closest operational partners and a direct peer in humanitarian demining, sharing country presence in Cambodia and Ukraine. Both organizations compete for similar institutional donor funding (EU, FCDO, UNDP) and operate comparable program structures combining clearance with risk education and victim assistance.
• DanChurchAid: DanChurchAid runs one of the world's largest humanitarian demining programs alongside ACTED, working across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Comparable to APOPO in mission scope, donor mix (EU, Nordic government funding), and operational structure as a faith-rooted humanitarian NGO.

Emerging players

• Medical Detection Dogs: Medical Detection Dogs is a UK charity training dogs to detect cancers, malaria, Parkinson's, and other diseases, using a methodology closely paralleling APOPO's TB detection rats. Comparable as a scent-detection medical/diagnostic nonprofit with similar animal-welfare-driven operating model and donor base.
• Working Dogs for Conservation: Working Dogs for Conservation trains scent-detection dogs for anti-trafficking, wildlife monitoring, and conservation applications, directly comparable to APOPO's expanding wildlife detection work. Similar training methodology and operational structure make it a relevant peer in the scent-detection-for-humanitarian-purposes niche.

Regional players

• Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC): CMAC is APOPO's primary institutional partner and national mine action operator in Cambodia, conducting manual and mechanical demining across the country. While state-affiliated and Cambodia-only, it is the dominant in-country peer for APOPO's largest program and a comparable mine clearance operator.

Others

• Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD): GICHD is the global knowledge hub for the mine action sector and the body that has validated APOPO's efficiency studies. It serves as an industry coordinator and standards-setter rather than an operator, making it an ecosystem partner and capability validator rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeroRATs
• Facebookfacebook.com/heroRAT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apopo-vzw

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Apopo