SWEDO - The Swedish Development Aid Organization

What SWEDO - The Swedish Development Aid Organization does

SWEDO – The Swedish Development Aid Organization (Ideell förening) is an independent non-profit humanitarian and development organization founded in Sweden in 1991 and headquartered in Stockholm at Tegelviksgatan 40. Registered as a non-profit association (C.I.N. 802401-6845), SWEDO delivers a portfolio of eight interconnected humanitarian aid programs — Distribution, Construction and Rehabilitation, Water/Sanitation/Hygiene (WASH), Education, Accountability and Outreach, Protection, Livelihood, and Equality and Inclusion — across field operations in Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria, with a regional MENA office structure (Erbil, Amman, Ramallah, Baghdad).

SWEDO serves refugees, internally displaced persons, host communities, women and girls, and children and youth affected by conflict and instability in the MENA region. Its operational model is community-led and partnership-based: SWEDO is the biggest distributor of basic necessities across northern Iraq in partnership with UNHCR, manages the Protection Assistance and Reintegration Centre (PARC) in Erbil, and works alongside UN agencies (UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), international NGOs (Forum CIV, GIZ, ILO, SecDev Foundation, Swedish Dialogue Institute, Swedish Institute, Anna Lindh Foundation), and local civil society organizations (Shoruq, JLAC, JOHUD, Green Crescent Society).

The organization employs 501-1,000 staff and is funded entirely through donations and grants from institutional donors, private donors, and partner organizations, with over 90 percent of income channeled directly to humanitarian and development programs. Public fundraising is conducted through an Odoo-powered online donations platform (donate.swedoaid.org) supporting Swish, bankgiro, and PayPal with Swedish tax deduction capabilities. SWEDO holds an ECHO Partnership Certificate (2021) and was re-certified under the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The governance structure comprises a board of directors led by President Carina Eriksson, with an Acting Secretary General (Tomas Tjäderborn) overseeing operations.

Name

SWEDO - The Swedish Development Aid Organization

Legal name

SWEDO – The Swedish Development Aid Organization

Website

https://swedoaid.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SWEDO is a Stockholm-headquartered non-profit humanitarian organization founded in 1991, delivering protection, distribution, WASH, education, and livelihood programs for refugees and displaced populations across Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria in partnership with UN agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (624210), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, Migration & Displacement Support (BPAGABAH), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF), Health, Population & WASH Aid Programs (BPADABAC), Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Humanitarian & Disaster Assistance (Bilateral) (BPADABAB)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid services
• Refugee assistance programs
• Development aid
• Protection services
• WASH programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: SWEDO operates as a non-profit organization funded entirely through donations and grants from institutional donors (UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA, SIDA), private donors, and partner organizations. Over 90 percent of income is channeled directly to humanitarian and development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SWEDO delivers humanitarian aid and development programming for refugees and internally displaced persons in the MENA region. Its core offerings include distribution of basic necessities (blankets, hygiene supplies, food), construction and rehabilitation of facilities, water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH) services, formal education support, protection monitoring against human rights violations, livelihood and income generation programs, and equality and inclusion initiatives. These services are delivered directly through field offices in Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria in partnership with UN agencies (UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA).

Product overview

SWEDO is a non-profit humanitarian and development organization offering a portfolio of field programs and services, not a technology product company. Its core offerings are eight interconnected humanitarian aid programs: Distribution (basic necessities), Construction and Rehabilitation, Water/Sanitation/Hygiene (WASH), Education, Accountability and Outreach, Protection, Livelihood, and Equality and Inclusion. These programs are delivered in partnership with UN agencies (UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA) and local organizations across Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria. Additionally, SWEDO operates a donations platform for public contributions. There is no unified software platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distribution Program Distribution of core relief items including blankets, plastic sheeting, mattresses, clothing, hygiene supplies, stoves, pots, and food. Supports refugees and internally displaced people across northern Iraq, including winterization assistance and COVID-19 cash distributions.
• Construction and Rehabilitation Construction and rehabilitation of facilities for refugees and internally displaced people, undertaken in partnership with international organizations like UNHCR. Projects use sustainable construction materials and methods.
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialized WASH services providing adequate infrastructure for water and sanitation, and educating displaced families in good hygiene practices. Implemented in the Middle East in partnership with UNHCR to protect the right to safe water and sanitation.
• Education Program Programs promoting formal education among refugee children from primary to secondary schools, focused on improving education quality, reducing dropout rates, and ensuring safe learning environments.
• Accountability and Outreach Community outreach initiatives engaging internally displaced people, refugees and host communities in protection operations, including protection case identification, community resource mapping, mass information dissemination, and prevention of gender-based violence.
• Protection Program Protection monitoring involving collecting, verifying and analyzing information to identify human rights violations and protection risks, establishing safe environments in partnership with the United Nations. SWEDO also manages the Protection Assistance and Reintegration Centre (PARC) in Erbil.
• Livelihood Program Programs supporting displaced people in generating income through skills training, support for farmers, distribution of seeds and fertilizers, rehabilitation of irrigation canals, harvesting assistance, warehousing, and selling at local markets.
• Equality and Inclusion

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Since 2016, SWEDO has been one of UNHCR's main implementing partners in northern Iraq, managing the Protection Assistance and Reintegration Centre (PARC) in Erbil. This is the cornerstone partnership of SWEDO's operations.
• WFPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for food assistance programs providing relief to refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq and Syria.
• UNFPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UN Population Fund on programs supporting reproductive health and population issues.
• Forum CIVmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish civil society organization partnership for development projects and advocacy work.
• Shoruq OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPalestinian civil society organization partnership for youth empowerment, human rights advocacy, and media training workshops in West Bank.
• Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for human rights training and advocacy programs for Palestinian youth and activists.
• SecDev FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Digital Safety for Youth (DSY) initiative in Jordan, providing online safety education through MaKani centers-UNICEF.
• Swedish InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding for young voice initiative in Jordan, training youth on infographics and human rights advocacy.
• Swedish Dialogue InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional collaboration on dialogue, mutual understanding, and peacebuilding initiatives in the MENA region.
• Anna Lindh FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshops on intercultural dialogue and cultural exchange between Sweden and Palestine, including art workshops.
• JOHUDmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership running the young voice initiative in Jordan for youth empowerment in human rights and democracy.
• Green Crescent SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on supporting vulnerable families in Lebanon, including emergency assistance.
• GAPF (Never Forget Pela and Fadime)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSWEDO is a support organization for Fadime Days 2025, working together against honor-related violence and oppression.
• GIZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development agency partnership for international development projects.
• ILOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Labour Organization partnership for livelihood and employment programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian NGO with strong MENA presence delivering food, WASH, livelihoods, and protection programming. Comparable in program breadth and target beneficiaries, but operates at a much larger budget scale.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): Larger Nordic-headquartered INGO operating across the MENA region with a similar portfolio of protection, WASH, education, and livelihoods programs for displaced populations. Comparable on donor base, program types, and geographic focus, but at materially larger scale.
• CARE International: Large multi-country humanitarian and development organization with active operations in Iraq, Jordan, and the MENA region. Compares on refugee assistance, gender equality, and livelihoods programming.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major UN-partnered INGO operating refugee and IDP programs across Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and the broader region. Competes directly with SWEDO for UNHCR and WFP partnerships and donor funding.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC): Another Nordic INGO with significant operations in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine. Runs comparable humanitarian and protection programs and competes for the same UNHCR and ECHO multi-year framework agreements as SWEDO.
• Save the Children: Global INGO with significant MENA programs in education, child protection, and WASH — directly overlapping several of SWEDO's priority programs for refugee children. Competes for similar institutional donor funding.

Direct peers

• Relief International: Mid-sized humanitarian INGO operating in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and neighboring countries with an integrated humanitarian-development portfolio. Similar scale and donor mix to SWEDO.
• ACTED: France-based INGO with similar multi-country MENA footprint, comparable program portfolio (WASH, protection, livelihoods, distribution), and similar reliance on UN and bilateral grant funding. Closest direct competitor in terms of organizational size and operating model.

Regional players

• JOHUD (Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development): Jordanian national development organization that is a SWEDO partner and serves as a comparable regional civil society actor running community-based, humanitarian, and youth programs in Jordan.

Others

• Forum CIV: Swedish civil society platform that is both a SWEDO partner and a comparable Swedish-registered development organization. Relevant as a peer for funding-back source and for thematic overlap in development and advocacy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCILtMKpGy6Nb1sbCnfBfAoA
• Facebookfacebook.com/swedo1991
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swedo
• Instagraminstagram.com/swedoaid

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SWEDO - The Swedish Development Aid Organization