HARDA - Horn of Africa Relief Development Agency

What HARDA - Horn of Africa Relief Development Agency does

HARDA (Horn of Africa Relief and Development Agency Inc.) is a registered not-for-profit community charity incorporated in New South Wales, Australia in November 2003. The organization supports migrants and refugees from all eight Horn of Africa countries — Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda — to settle into Australian communities, primarily in Western Sydney. Domestically, HARDA delivers the Swim, Survive and Socialise program (300+ children annually), the Jobs for African Migrants / Jobs for African Youth Program (85%+ employment or study placement rate), the African Youth Outreach Program, and the Connecting Communities cross-cultural partnership with Kids Giving Back. Overseas, the organization runs small-scale development projects in partnership with local NGOs including WARDA in Kenya — covering cataract surgeries (4,000+ performed since 2009), a Centre of Excellence for 250 orphan girls, a maternity clinic in Wel Ari, clean water infrastructure (20,000+ beneficiaries in South Somalia), and famine relief.

The organization's revenue model rests on three streams: individual donations processed via a Commonwealth Bank account with Deductible Gift Recipient tax status, grants from government bodies and foundations (Multicultural NSW, Scanlon Foundation, Clark Foundation, Global Aid Foundation), and volunteer contributions. Services are provided free to beneficiaries; the only fee-bearing offering is Project Harmony swimming lessons at $50 per child or via NSW Government First Lap Voucher. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, community events, and partnerships — notably a 20-year office tenancy at the Edmund Rice Centre — rather than paid marketing. Technology footprint is limited to standard office productivity tools and a WordPress-based website.

Governance is provided by a volunteer Executive Committee including President Agey Abdikarin, Vice President Fiona Carr, Treasurer Girma Dabi, and Secretary Alison Thomas, alongside executive members with backgrounds at Price Waterhouse, Westpac, and government consulting. HARDA holds registered charity status (INC9880759), Deductible Gift Recipient status, Public Benevolent Institution classification, and Authority to Fundraise for Charitable Purposes (CFN17992). The organization is not backed by private equity or venture capital and operates as an independent charity with no parent or subsidiary entities.

Name

HARDA - Horn of Africa Relief Development Agency

Legal name

Horn of Africa Relief and Development Agency Inc.

Website

https://harda.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HARDA is an Australian not-for-profit charity founded in 2003 that delivers free settlement, employment, youth, and water-safety programs to migrants and refugees from Horn of Africa countries in NSW, alongside small overseas aid projects in East Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Settlement and Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAI

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAAAJ

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYBPAGABAA

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPAGABAH

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Migrant settlement services
• Refugee resettlement support
• Community development programs
• Overseas humanitarian aid
• Employment assistance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Homebush West, New South Wales

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations received via bank transfer to Commonwealth Bank account. Donors are requested to send email confirmation with details for tax receipt processing.
2. Grants and Funding: Funding from government bodies, foundations, and corporate sponsors for specific projects and programs.
3. Volunteer Contributions: Unpaid volunteer time and expertise contributing to program delivery and organizational operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HARDA is a not-for-profit community charity that delivers free settlement, integration, education, and community connection services to migrants and refugees from Horn of Africa countries in Australia. In addition, it implements small-scale overseas aid projects in Horn of Africa countries covering eye care, maternity health, education, water infrastructure, and emergency famine relief. The organization operates without fees to participants and is funded by donations, grants, and sponsorships.

Product overview

HARDA is a not-for-profit community charity that provides a diverse portfolio of programs and services for migrants and refugees from Horn of Africa countries. The organization operates both local community programs in Australia (including employment assistance, swimming and water safety education, youth development, and cultural integration programs) and overseas aid projects in Horn of Africa countries (including health clinics, education support, water infrastructure, blindness prevention, and emergency famine relief). The local programs are offered free of charge to participants and include flagship initiatives like the Swim, Survive and Socialise Program, Jobs for African Migrants Program, African Youth Outreach Program, and Connecting Communities partnership with Kids Giving Back. Overseas projects are implemented in partnership with local organizations and donors, focusing on alleviating poverty through education, health, and livelihood interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jobs for African Migrants Program
• Swim, Survive and Socialise Program
• African Youth Outreach Program
• Connecting Communities An annual program of activities (rock climbing, bowling, cooking, beach days) bringing children from Horn of Africa communities together with children from Sydney's Eastern suburbs for fun shared activities and mutual learning.
• Small Livelihood Project for Vulnerable Families (Wajir South, Kenya)
• Operation Eradicate Preventable Blindness
• Maternity Clinic (Wel Ari, Northeast Kenya)
• Centre of Excellence for Girls
• Clean Water Project (Ethiopia) Project that built 6 wells in Ethiopia to supply clean water free of waterborne diseases to a community of 5,000 people, reducing child mortality.
• Water Catchment and Storage (South Somalia)
• Famine Relief Program Emergency food aid distribution distributing 26 tonnes of relief food to 10,500 people in Northeast Kenya and similar programs in Southern Ethiopia during the 2018 famine.
• East Africa Famine Relief
• Poor Students Educational Support Program Educational support for orphaned and poor children in Ethiopia, paying tuition fees and providing school supplies to enable 329 children from Abadir primary school to stay in school.
• Food for Iftar Food aid program enabling poverty-stricken villagers in Northeast Kenya to celebrate Iftar.
• African Men's Education Program
• Project Harmony
• Youth Support Hub
• Jobs for African Youth Program
• New Land New Life Documentary

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4000 cataract surgeries performed through eye care mission since 2009
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Australian Catholic University (ACU)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Provided an intern (Jessica) who was instrumental in delivering the Jobs for African Youth Program.
• Waso Resource Development Agency (WARDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Local partner organization in Kenya for the Wajir South livelihood project, working with HARDA and Global Aid Foundation.
• Aquatic Safety Training Academy (ASTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Royal Lifesaving facility partner for HARDA's Swim, Survive and Socialise program held at Seven Hills location.
• ANSA and Auburn Sports ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Partnership for the 2017/18 African Youth and CALD Soccer Tournament and Community Festival, involving weekly soccer games, mentoring, and leadership workshops.
• Kids Giving BackcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership for the Connecting Communities program, which brings together children from Horn of Africa communities with children from Eastern suburbs for fun shared activities including rock climbing, bowling, cooking, and beach days.
• WARDA - Doctors for HopecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Local partner in Northeast Kenya for the Cataract Program, enabling volunteer ophthalmologists to perform surgeries.
• Edmund Rice CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2003The Edmund Rice Centre has provided HARDA with office space for 20 years, serving as a home from which HARDA operates. Phil Glendenning from Edmund Rice Centre has provided unwavering support to HARDA's mission.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Centacare: Catholic social services agency providing refugee and asylum seeker support including casework, settlement assistance, and community programs across multiple Australian states, with overlapping beneficiary demographics.
• Brotherhood of St Laurence: Established Australian NGO addressing poverty and social exclusion, with employment and youth programs serving migrants and refugees. Operates at greater scale than HARDA with similar employment-focused program philosophy.
• Australian Red Cross (Refugee and Migrant Support): Major humanitarian organization with sizeable refugee and migrant support programs across Australia including emergency relief, settlement, and family reunification support. Competes with HARDA for both government funding and donor mindshare in the Horn of Africa community.
• Settlement Services International (SSI): One of Australia's largest refugee and migrant settlement NGOs, delivering employment, education, and youth programs nationally. Competes with HARDA for the same federal settlement funding and CALD beneficiary pool, though at much larger scale.
• AMES Australia (now part of SSI): Major Australian settlement and employment services provider for refugees and migrants, including African community members. Operates government-funded programs in employment assistance, English language training, and community engagement that directly overlap with HARDA's Jobs for African Youth/Jobs for African Migrants programs.

Direct peers

• Multicultural NSW: NSW Government agency that has funded HARDA through the Empowering and Supporting Local Communities Program. Provides grants and policy support to multicultural community organizations serving CALD beneficiaries including Horn of Africa diaspora.
• African Communities Council: Peak body for African communities in Australia, of which HARDA's founder Hassan Omar was an active executive member. Represents a direct peer in advocacy and community coordination for African diaspora including Horn of Africa populations.
• Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS): Australia's largest specialist refugee legal and casework provider, offering similar holistic support (advice, advocacy, casework) to refugees and asylum seekers. HARDA's Executive Member Hani Abdile is an Ambassador for RACS, indicating direct programmatic overlap.
• Multicultural Youth Affairs (MYAN): Australia's national peak body on multicultural youth issues, supporting organizations serving young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Directly relevant given HARDA's African Youth Outreach Program and Youth Support Hub serving Horn of Africa youth.
• Edmund Rice Centre: Australian social justice and refugee advocacy organization that has hosted HARDA's offices for 20+ years. Operates overlapping programs in refugee support, advocacy, and community education, and has been a foundational strategic partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harda---horn-of-africa-relief-development-agency

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 HARDA - Horn of Africa Relief Development Agency