Roia Foundation

What Roia Foundation does

Roia Foundation (legally Stichting Roia, KVK 73304867) is a Dutch-registered non-profit foundation founded in 2012 that develops and deploys information and communications technology (ICT) solutions for conflict-affected, displaced, and marginalised communities. Operating across approximately five countries spanning the Middle East (including the Levant), Turkey, the Netherlands, broader Europe, and Estonia, the foundation delivers a portfolio of nine programmes organised under three pillars: Education and Capacity Building (Maharat Academy), Employability and Entrepreneurship (Subul Outsourcing Hub, Skills Under Siege), and Innovative Solutions and Infrastructure (Nas VPN, BeeNeet, Free Waves, Emergency Medical System, SpeakLoud, Early Recovery & Livelihood). Its technology stack includes bespoke digital infrastructure (satellite internet and transmission towers), digital-security tools (Nas VPN), a freelance-economy platform (Subul), and ICT-skills curricula (Maharat), with no public API or SDK exposure.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Primary revenue derives from grants awarded by institutional donors and philanthropic foundations (USAID, European Endowment for Democracy, Expertise France, Asfari Foundation, Blossom Hill Foundation, Karl Kahane Foundation), supplemented by project-based contracts with development agencies and civil society networks, small individual donations via the roia.org Support Us page at €10/€25/€50/€100 tiers (processed through PayPal), and in-kind contributions from a digital-volunteer pool. The customer base comprises three overlapping segments: disadvantaged and conflict-affected communities (refugees, IDPs, women and girls, people with disabilities); human-rights defenders and humanitarian actors requiring secure communications and digital-security training; and local civil-society organisations plus public/private humanitarian-relief actors being equipped for digital transformation. Governance is exercised by a voluntary three-person board (Founder/Chairman Khaled Shaaban, Deputy Chair Ousama Sulaiman, Board Secretary Berber Koopmans), with a published 2024-2026 Policy Plan codifying strategy and use of funds. Cumulative impact metrics are modest — 2,531 beneficiaries reached and 396 actions delivered — consistent with a small foundation rather than a scaled humanitarian operator.

Name

Roia Foundation

Legal name

Stichting Roia

Website

https://roia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roia Foundation is a Dutch-registered non-profit foundation that develops ICT solutions — including digital-skills training, a VPN security tool, and communications infrastructure — to serve conflict-affected, displaced, and marginalised communities across approximately five countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian ICT Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian ICT services
• Digital skills training
• Conflict-affected communities
• Refugee livelihood programmes
• Civil society capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants from international donors and philanthropic institutions: Roia raises funds through grants from international donors and philanthropic institutions. This forms the core of its funding base and is the primary mechanism enabling its ICT-for-social-good programs.
2. Project-based contracts with development agencies and civil society networks: Roia secures project-based contracts with development agencies and civil society networks to deliver defined ICT programs (e.g., Maharat Academy, Subul Outsourcing Hub, EMS, Free Waves).
3. Private donations and sponsorships: Occasional private donations and sponsorships from individuals and organizations are accepted via the website donation page, with suggested tiers of €10, €25, €50 and €100. Donations support ongoing projects in ICT education, freelancing, digital capacity building, and ICT for human rights.
4. Digital volunteering and pro bono contributions: Roia welcomes digital volunteers who provide skills-based, in-kind support to help the organisation reach communities and raise awareness. Volunteers gain work experience in the humanitarian sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Roia Foundation delivers a non-profit portfolio of ICT programmes organised under three pillars — Education and Capacity Building (Maharat Academy), Employability and Entrepreneurship (Subul Outsourcing Hub, Skills Under Siege), and Innovative Solutions and Infrastructure (Nas VPN, BeeNeet, Free Waves, SpeakLoud, Emergency Medical System (EMS), Early Recovery & Livelihood (DERL)). These programmes provide digital-skills training, freelance-economy job access, secure communication infrastructure, and humanitarian telecommunications to conflict-affected, displaced, and disadvantaged communities across approximately five countries. Services are funded through grants, project contracts with development agencies, and individual donations rather than commercial sales.

Product overview

Roia Foundation delivers a non-profit, programme-based portfolio of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives rather than a single unified commercial product. The portfolio is organised under three strategic pillars — Education and Capacity Building (e.g., Maharat Academy), Employability and Entrepreneurship (e.g., Subul Outsourcing Hub, Skills Under Siege), and Innovative Solutions and Infrastructure (e.g., Nas VPN, BeeNeet, Free Waves, SpeakLoud, Emergency Medical System (EMS), and Early Recovery & Livelihood (DERL)). Together these named programmes form an integrated "ICT for social good" platform that supports digital skills training, freelance-economy job access, secure communication, and humanitarian infrastructure for conflict-affected and disadvantaged communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Subul: Subul Outsourcing Hub — employability and freelancing digital economy project (subul.org).
• Maharat Academy
• Nas VPN
• Turnsole

Products and services

• Maharat Academy Integrated educational programme that empowers disadvantaged and conflict-affected youth with competitive ICT skills to address digital exclusion and illiteracy; the fourth phase of the programme launched in 2016 and continues to operate across multiple locations. Designed for vulnerable youth in conflict-affected settings who lack access to quality digital education.
• Subul Outsourcing Hub Employability and education initiative that leverages digital technologies and the freelance economy to create job opportunities and economic self-sufficiency for beneficiaries in locations including Estonia, Turkey and the Levantine region.
• Nas VPN VPN service that addresses digital violence in the Middle East, including surveillance, censorship, monitoring, hacking and online gender-based violence; marked as onGoing. Designed for human rights defenders and at-risk users in the Middle East.
• BeeNeet Information and communication infrastructure development programme for human rights protection and freedom of speech, supporting community connectivity where internet and communication sources are shut down in conflict-affected areas.
• Free Waves Information and communication infrastructure development programme for human rights protection and freedom of speech, initiated during the Arab Spring to counter misinformation and sectarian media.
• Emergency Medical System (EMS) Programme addressing medical assistance needs in the Levant amid continuous bombardments and infrastructure destruction by providing a telecommunications system for healthcare delivery in conflict-affected Levantine cities.
• SpeakLoud Programme strengthening digital security practices and online visibility of civil society organisations in the MENA region to counter weakening of the sector due to low digital-security awareness.
• Skills Under Siege Capacity-building and livelihood programme (2016-2018) developed from assessed needs of the most vulnerable communities to address depletion of livelihood opportunities caused by protracted regional conflict.
• Early Recovery & Livelihood (DERL) Infrastructure, rehabilitation and livelihood programme (2018-2019) supporting local humanitarian actors and public bodies in delivering urgent crisis response.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,531 total beneficiaries reached
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major ecosystem partner and core partner.

• Microsoftmajor ecosystem partnerTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft is featured on Roia's homepage partner logo wall, signalling it as a major ecosystem partner. Roia's work in digital capacity building and ICT education for humanitarian and development contexts aligns with Microsoft's technology-for-social-impact ecosystem, though specific program-level details are not disclosed in the source materials.
• Majalcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajal is featured on Roia's homepage partner logo wall. As a MENA-region digital media and civil society platform, Majal's partnership is consistent with Roia's work on ICT for freedom of expression, digital security, and media in the Arab world (e.g., Free Waves).
• Baytnacore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaytna is listed as a partner on Roia's homepage. As a Syrian-focused civil society/economic empowerment initiative, Baytna's partnership aligns with Roia's mission of supporting conflict-affected communities in the Middle East with ICT-enabled livelihoods.
• Humans in the Loopcore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumans in the Loop is featured on Roia's homepage partner logo wall. As an organisation that trains and employs refugees and conflict-affected people in digital work, its partnership aligns with Roia's Subul Outsourcing Hub and digital livelihood programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• WITNESS: International organisation using video and technology for human rights. Comparable to Roia's media and free-expression work, though focused on video rather than ICT infrastructure.
• Internet Freedom Foundation: Digital rights organisation focused on privacy, surveillance, and online freedom. Comparable to Roia's Nas VPN and SpeakLoud digital-security programmes, though primarily focused on India rather than MENA.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian organisation with programmes in MENA, including digital-skills and youth-employment components. Comparable in mission and beneficiary segments, though broader in scope and far larger in scale than Roia.
• UNHCR Innovation Service: UN Refugee Agency's innovation function deploying technology solutions for displaced populations. Comparable to Roia's refugee-focused ICT programmes, though operating at vastly larger scale and with sovereign backing.

Direct peers

• NetHope: US-based nonprofit consortium delivering ICT solutions to humanitarian and development organisations globally. Directly comparable to Roia as an ICT-for-humanitarian platform serving NGOs in disaster and conflict-affected contexts.
• Majal: MENA-region digital media and civic-engagement platform. Already a Roia partner and directly comparable to Roia's Free Waves media and broadcasting programmes in the Arab world.
• Access Now: International digital rights organisation defending users' digital civil liberties, including in conflict zones. Comparable to Roia's Nas VPN and SpeakLoud digital-security work, particularly for at-risk users in MENA.
• Humans in the Loop: Social enterprise training and employing refugees and conflict-affected people in digital work, including data annotation. Already a Roia strategic partner and highly comparable to Subul Outsourcing Hub.
• Article 19: Global free-expression organisation working on digital rights, censorship resistance, and media freedom. Comparable to Roia's Free Waves and SpeakLoud programmes focused on freedom of expression in the Arab world.
• Digital Aid Foundation: Nonprofit leveraging technology for humanitarian aid delivery. Directly comparable in combining ICT deployment with humanitarian programming for vulnerable populations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/roia_ict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roia

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Roia Foundation