The Adventist Development and Relief Agency

What The Adventist Development and Relief Agency does

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is a humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. It operates as a country office of the global ADRA network, delivering programs across five core verticals: health, livelihoods, education, governance, and disaster risk reduction. The organization serves crisis-affected populations, with end beneficiaries including children impacted by conflict, climate change, and humanitarian emergencies.

ADRA's primary program delivery occurs through field operations in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected regions. A flagship recent engagement is a US$17.1 million catalytic grant from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN's global fund for education in emergencies, to deliver education programs to more than 43,000 children across six locations in Somalia. ADRA functions as an implementing partner for international funders and UN agencies rather than a commercial product or technology provider.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. ADRA has no commercial products, services, or pricing model. Operations are financed through grants from international organizations (such as ECW), government agencies, and private donors, with each grant typically tied to a specific geographic or programmatic scope. The organization employs 101-250 staff and does not disclose proprietary technology, AI capabilities, or commercial channels.

Name

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency

Website

https://adranepal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ADRA Nepal is a humanitarian NGO that delivers health, livelihoods, education, governance, and disaster risk reduction programs to crisis-affected populations, funded primarily through grants from international organizations and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Educational Services (611), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education in Emergencies (EiE) & Safe Schools (BPADAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ), Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management (BPADAOAC), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Disaster relief programs
• Education in emergencies
• Community development
• Nonprofit health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kathmandu

HQ country

Nepal

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: ADRA operates as a humanitarian NGO funded primarily through grants from international organizations and government agencies. The organization receives funding for specific humanitarian programs, such as the US$17.1 million Education Cannot Wait grant for education programs in Somalia.

Core offering

ADRA is a humanitarian NGO that designs and delivers programs in health, livelihoods, education, governance, and disaster risk reduction for populations affected by conflict, climate change, and humanitarian crises. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and funded through grants and donations from international organizations, governments, and private donors; an evidenced example is a US$17.1 million Education Cannot Wait grant supporting education programs reaching more than 43,000 children across six locations in Somalia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Programs in Emergencies

Quantifiable outcome

• 43,000+ children to receive education support

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• World Vision: Faith-based humanitarian NGO operating child-focused education, livelihoods, and emergency response programs worldwide. Highly comparable operating model to ADRA — including faith-based identity, multi-sector programming, and ECW/implementing-partner relationships — and a frequent co-bidder on humanitarian RFPs.
• Mercy Corps: Humanitarian NGO with a strong presence in fragile states and a programmatic emphasis on education, youth, and economic recovery. Directly comparable to ADRA on geography (Horn of Africa), donor mix, and integrated programming approach.
• Plan International: Children's rights and humanitarian NGO with significant education-in-emergencies programming. Directly comparable to ADRA on EiE delivery model, target beneficiary (crisis-affected children), and donor footprint (ECW, GPE, UNICEF).
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): Humanitarian NGO specializing in displacement, education, and emergency programming in conflict-affected countries. Directly comparable to ADRA's Somalia EiE footprint and frequently co-funds and co-implements ECW-supported education responses.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Faith-based humanitarian NGO with a global footprint in education, livelihoods, health, and emergency response. Highly comparable to ADRA's faith-affiliated, multi-sector implementing model and active in the same ECW/USAID pooled funding mechanisms.
• CARE International: Major humanitarian NGO focused on poverty, gender, and emergency response across developing regions. Directly comparable to ADRA in scale, donor mix, and EiE programming, and regularly co-implements ECW-funded education initiatives in East Africa.
• Save the Children: Global humanitarian NGO delivering education, health, and child protection programming in crisis and fragile-state contexts. Directly comparable to ADRA as a multi-sector humanitarian implementer competing for the same ECW, UNICEF, and USAID grants, with comparable field presence in East Africa.

Others

• Education Cannot Wait (ECW): The UN's global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, and ADRA's named anchor partner. Included as an ecosystem participant because ECW sets the funding envelope ADRA implements against — comparable as the funder-of-record rather than a competitor.

Emerging players

• Relief International: Mid-sized humanitarian NGO focused on emergency response, education, and health in fragile states. Comparable to ADRA at a smaller scale, frequently co-bidding on ECW and UN-pooled-fund opportunities in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF: The UN's global mandate-holder for children's rights and the convener of major EiE funding mechanisms. Comparable to ADRA as the upstream donor/policy authority whose grants (including ECW pass-through) flow to ADRA-style implementing partners.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adranepal
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinADRANepal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Adventist Development and Relief Agency