Action for Development

What Action for Development does

Action for Development is a Geneva-headquartered nonprofit humanitarian organization that delivers health and education services to marginalized populations in Afghanistan. Founded in 2001 by Afghan professionals following the fall of the Taliban, the organization maintains dual offices in Geneva (international fundraising, UN advocacy, donor relations) and Kabul (field operations), enabling a community-led cascade-model delivery approach. Core programs include the Shaheed Abdul Razaq Primary Health Center serving 60,000 people in Khawja Bughra District with maternal/child healthcare, OPD, laboratory, ultrasound, and pharmacy services priced at 10-20% of private clinic costs (99% cost recovery); schools for street-working children and home-based schools for girls denied secondary education reaching 925 students; a midwife training program that trained 950+ midwives across eight provinces using a cascade model; nutrition programs in partnership with Vitamin Angels; Mobile Health Teams for disaster response; and refugee integration initiatives in Geneva.

The organization has no proprietary technology product or AI/ML capability — it is fundamentally a service delivery operation. Revenue is sourced from individual donations (via website and GlobalGiving), institutional grants (Vitamin Angels, One Day's Wages, UEFA Foundation for Children, GlobalGiving, CAF International, Croatia Mission), and minimal cost-recovery fees at the health center. The organization's value proposition rests on cost-effective service delivery (10-20% of private clinic pricing with 99% cost recovery), a cascade-model multiplier effect for capacity building, and direct field presence in a high-risk operating environment where many international NGOs cannot maintain continuous operations.

The customer base is bifurcated: beneficiaries are diverse vulnerable populations (women, children, disaster-affected communities, street-working children, persons with disabilities) across Afghanistan, while the revenue base depends on a concentrated set of institutional grant relationships. Strategic positioning centers on dual-track engagement — Geneva-based UN advocacy and donor relations paired with Kabul-based service delivery — which creates a structural advantage in accessing international humanitarian funding while maintaining ground-level operational credibility.

Name

Action for Development

Legal name

Action for Development

Website

https://actfordev.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Action for Development is a Geneva-headquartered nonprofit providing health and education services to marginalized populations in Afghanistan through a community-led cascade model, operating a health center serving 60,000 people and programs reaching 925 students and 950+ trained midwives across eight provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Health and Education Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA), International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Humanitarian health services
• Community education programs
• Maternal child health
• Nonprofit humanitarian aid
• Emergency disaster response

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations collected through the organization's website, GlobalGiving platform, and direct bank transfers. The organization operates thanks to a network of professional volunteers ensuring donations have direct impact on projects.
2. Institutional Grants and Foundation Funding: Grants from foundations and institutional donors including UEFA Foundation for Children, Global Giving, One Day's Wages, Vitamin Angels, CAF International, and government missions (Croatia mission funding UN event).
3. Fee-for-Service (Minimal Cost Recovery): The Comprehensive Health Center charges nominal fees: 50 Afghani per OPD service/laboratory examination and 60 Afs for ultrasound. Family planning and vaccinations are free. Current cost recovery rate is 99% of running costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Action for Development is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that delivers health, education, nutrition, and emergency response services directly to vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. It operates a Comprehensive Health Center serving 60,000 people, runs schools for street-working children and home-based schools for girls, trains midwives using a cascade model across eight provinces, deploys Mobile Health Teams for disaster response, and runs nutrition and refugee integration programs. Funding is sourced from individual donations, institutional grants, and minimal cost-recovery service fees.

Product overview

Action for Development is a non-profit humanitarian organization providing health and education services in Afghanistan. The organization operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified tech product. Core services include: the Shaheed Abdul Razaq Primary Health Center offering comprehensive healthcare to 60,000 people; Schools for Street-Working Children and Home-Based Schools for Girls providing education access; a Midwife Training Program that trained 950+ midwives; Health and Nutrition Integration combining nutrition with child development; Emergency Response Services with Mobile Health Teams; and various advocacy and refugee integration initiatives. The organization partners with platforms like Global Giving for donations and Vitamin Angels for nutrition supplies, but does not offer a software product with API integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shaheed Abdul Razaq Primary Health Center (Comprehensive Health Center) Comprehensive primary healthcare center serving 60,000 people in Khawja Bughra District, north of Kabul, with outpatient services, laboratory examinations, ultrasound, pharmacy, maternal and child health services, family planning, ante/post-natal care, and nutrition screening. Free services are offered for family planning and vaccinations; OPD, lab, and ultrasound services are priced at 50-60 Afghanis.
• Schools for Street-Working Children Educational program in Kabul providing basic education, daily meals, vocational training, and skills development to street-working children unable to enter formal education. Funded in part by the UEFA Foundation for Children, including lessons, physical activities, and nutritional meals.
• Home-Based Schools for Girls Alternative education program providing home-based schooling for girls and young women who have been denied access to secondary schools and universities under Taliban restrictions. Includes digital learning components.
• Midwife Training Program Capacity-building program that trained over 950 midwives from 2014 to 2022, with 150+ becoming qualified trainers who cascade training to peers across eight Afghan provinces. Includes intensive 12-day training programs targeting rural areas of Kabul, Takhar, and Parwan provinces in partnership with One Day's Wages.
• Rahyab School for Children with Disabilities Specialized school addressing barriers faced by children with disabilities in Afghanistan, including social stigmatization and community isolation, providing tailored educational support.
• Health and Nutrition Integration Program Integrated program providing micronutrient supplements to 59,500 infants and young children and 17,300 pregnant/lactating women across Kabul, Takhar, Baghlan, and Parwan provinces. Includes daily meals at schools, food distribution to vulnerable families, and poultry farming initiatives for women's income generation in rural Parwan.
• Emergency Response Services Deployable Mobile Health Teams providing emergency medical response to natural disasters. Treated over 740 patients during the 17-day Kunar earthquake emergency response (September 2025) and supported 2,200+ affected families during the Herat earthquake response (October 2023) with trauma care, vaccinations, psychological support, and emergency supplies distribution.
• Winterization Support Program Seasonal program providing winter aid including rice, oil, and coal to vulnerable families in Kabul and Parwan provinces to help them survive harsh winter conditions. Funded through GlobalGiving campaigns.
• Advocacy and Human Rights Program International advocacy initiatives promoting rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, and isolated communities through UN Human Rights Council sessions, ECW financing conferences, university workshops, and field visits.
• Refugee Integration Program Program for Afghan migrants and refugees in Geneva, partnering with Hospice General to provide interpretation/translation services, self-esteem support groups, help-groups, and fundraising events.
• Family MUAC Training Project Project providing training to Community Health Workers on the Family Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) approach to malnutrition screening, implemented across five provinces to enable community-level identification of malnutrition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000 people served by Comprehensive Health Center
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Vitamin AngelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-term partnership providing micronutrient supplements for pregnant/lactating women and children under 5. Second-year collaboration reaching 59,500 infants/young children and 17,300 pregnant women across Kabul, Takhar, Baghlan, and Parwan provinces.
• CAF InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAF International validated organization credentials after rigorous review of governance, registration, financial statements, staff, and board. Listed on CAF America's Global Charity Database.
• HWPL SwitzerlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized side event at 52nd UN Human Rights Council Session on 'The Right to Education in Afghanistan' with 33 UN member states in attendance.
• g7+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized side event at 52nd UN Human Rights Council Session on 'The Right to Education in Afghanistan'.
• Belgium Permanent Mission to UN GenevaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized side event at 52nd UN Human Rights Council Session on 'The Right to Education in Afghanistan'.
• UNHCRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized side event at ECW High-Level Financing Conference on 'Advanced Digital Learning and Inclusion of Conflict-Affected Children - Where to Invest Next?'
• War ChildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized side event at ECW High-Level Financing Conference with UNHCR on digital learning for refugee children.
• AADA (Agency for Assistance and Development of Afghanistan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAADA provides treatment on-site for children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) at the Primary Health Center, using Plumpy'Nut therapeutic food.
• Ministry of Public Health (Afghanistan)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoPH is the main source of funds for family planning services at the health center. Provincial health directorate coordinates emergency response activities.
• Afghan Human Rights Organization (ARHO)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementation partner for SUN Movement Pooled Fund project, leading the Afghan Civil Society Alliance for nutrition advocacy.
• Action Contre la Faim (ACF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on roundtable discussion on chronic malnutrition (stunting) in Afghanistan.
• Save the ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed virtual roundtable discussion on anemia in Afghanistan; participated in joint advocacy efforts.
• Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents from C4SI (Collaborate for Social Impact) developed water treatment solution design for Comprehensive Health Center.
• Hospice General (Geneva)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on refugee integration program providing interpretation/translation services, self-esteem support groups, and fundraising events for Afghan refugees in Geneva.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• GlobalGiving: Global crowdfunding platform for nonprofits that hosts seven active Action for Development projects spanning education, health, emergency response, and midwifery training. Functions as both a fundraising channel and a peer cohort of similarly sized development NGOs seeking institutional donor visibility.
• Vitamin Angels: Nonprofit that distributes vitamins and micronutrients to underserved pregnant women and children globally. Action for Development is a Vitamin Angels implementing partner reaching 59,500 infants/young children and 17,300 pregnant/lactating women, making it directly comparable as a community nutrition delivery platform.

Direct peers

• War Child: INGO focused on education and protection for conflict-affected children, including in Afghanistan. Action for Development co-organized an ECW High-Level Financing Conference side event with War Child on digital learning for refugee children, and both organizations target similar beneficiary cohorts (street-working and conflict-affected children).
• Action Against Hunger (Action Contre la Faim): Specializes in tackling chronic malnutrition (stunting) and acute food insecurity, with active Afghanistan programming. Action for Development partnered with ACF on a roundtable on chronic malnutrition in Afghanistan, and both organizations share a nutrition/MUAC screening focus with overlapping donor bases (Vitamin Angels, SUN Movement).
• BRAC Afghanistan: Large development NGO running community-based health, education, and microfinance programs across Afghanistan with a cascade-style training approach for community health promoters. BRAC's scale and methodology in Afghanistan is highly comparable to Action for Development's midwife-training cascade model.

Broad incumbents

• Aga Khan Foundation: Major INGO delivering integrated health, education, and rural development programs across Afghanistan and Central Asia. Operates a similar dual-track model combining community health worker training with education access, and shares Action for Development's geographic focus on rural/underserved Afghan provinces.
• CARE International: Major INGO with longstanding presence in Afghanistan focused on women/girls' empowerment, maternal health, and emergency response. Comparable operating model (community health workers, women's economic empowerment) and similar donor ecosystem (GlobalGiving, ECW Financing Conference participants).
• Save the Children: Global humanitarian organization with a major Afghanistan country office delivering maternal/child health, nutrition, and education programs. Action for Development has collaborated directly with Save the Children on anemia roundtable advocacy, making it a close programmatic peer in the Afghan context.
• UNHCR Afghanistan: UN refugee agency running displacement, education-in-emergencies, and protection programs in Afghanistan. Action for Development co-organized an ECW High-Level Financing Conference side event with UNHCR, and the Geneva-based refugee integration program (Hospice General partnership) parallels UNHCR's refugee-support work in Europe.
• UNICEF Afghanistan: UN agency with the largest child-health and education footprint in Afghanistan, including maternal nutrition, immunization, and alternative learning programs for girls. Action for Development's midwife training, Vitamin Angels nutrition work, and girls' home-based schooling directly parallel UNICEF's programming priorities in the country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/actfordev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/action-for-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/actionfordevelopment
• Xx.com/afd_swiss

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Action for Development