Stichting Zoa
ZOA is a Dutch humanitarian foundation delivering emergency relief and long-term recovery programming across 15+ conflict-affected and disaster-affected countries, serving displaced populations, refugees, and host communities with WASH, shelter, food security, peacebuilding, cash, education, climate, and land rights programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersApeldoorn, Netherlands
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Stichting Zoa does
ZOA is a Dutch humanitarian foundation (Stichting Zoa), founded in 1973 and headquartered in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, that delivers emergency relief and long-term recovery programming in fragile, conflict-affected, and disaster-affected contexts. With 501-1,000 staff and active country operations across at least 15 countries spanning East, West, Central, and Southern Africa, the Middle East (including Syria, Yemen, and historically Iraq), Eastern Europe (Ukraine), South and Southeast Asia (Myanmar), and Latin America (Colombia, Venezuela), ZOA serves displaced populations, refugees, conflict-affected communities, and host communities through a "relief to recovery" continuum rather than short-term emergency response alone.
Its core programmatic sectors are WASH, Shelter, Education, Food Security and Livelihoods, Peacebuilding, Cash Assistance, Disaster Response, Climate Resilience, and Land Rights. The organization's distinguishing methodologies include Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) delivered through configurable modalities (cash, voucher, or mixed) based on local market functionality; Community Based Sociotherapy (CBS), a 15-week group-based psychosocial intervention developed in partnership with the International Institute for Community Based Sociotherapy (IICBS); Mobile Health Teams using motorcycles to reach remote villages for malnutrition treatment; and a Peace Nexus approach that integrates conflict sensitivity across all programming, developed with the PeaceNexus Foundation over a five-year organizational transformation. Distribution is executed through direct country offices and through consortia and local NGO partners including YMCA Liberia, Peace Hub Liberia, PDD in DR Congo, AWACE in South Sudan, Mi Parec in Burundi, and consortium peers (Medair, Save the Children, Tearfund, Terre des Hommes, SOS Children's Villages, AGRITERRA, VNG International, Dorcas).
ZOA operates as a private nonprofit under a Dutch Stichting structure with ANBI (public benefit) status and is funded primarily by institutional donors — the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SIDA, USAID, and the Pharus Foundation — supplemented by private donations. Aid is delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, and no commercial revenue is generated; the organization holds HQAI, IATI, ISO 9001, CHS Alliance, and CBF certifications required for institutional donor grant access. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and there is no equity investor, parent company, or acquisition structure. Recent strategic activity includes a managed 2024 exit from Iraq with work transitioning to the locally founded successor Kanaf, and 2024 emergency entries into Venezuela (earthquake response) and Madagascar (drought response consortium).
Stichting Zoa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stichting Zoa
- Legal name
- Stichting Zoa
- Website
- https://zoa-international.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- ZOA is a Dutch humanitarian foundation delivering emergency relief and long-term recovery programming across 15+ conflict-affected and disaster-affected countries, serving displaced populations, refugees, and host communities with WASH, shelter, food security, peacebuilding, cash, education, climate, and land rights programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stichting Zoa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Relief and Recovery Services
- NAICS
- Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (624210)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Early Recovery & Rapid Rehabilitation (Debris Removal, Repairs, Livelihood Restart) (BPADADAJ), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)
Keywords
Where Stichting Zoa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Apeldoorn
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Stichting Zoa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Stichting Zoa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stichting Zoa is an international humanitarian relief and recovery organization that provides immediate emergency aid (food, water, shelter, sanitation) and supports long-term recovery for people affected by conflict and natural disasters. ZOA operates programs across Water/Sanitation/Hygiene, Shelter, Education, Food Security and Livelihoods, Peacebuilding, Cash Assistance, Disaster Response, Climate Resilience, and Land Rights in fragile regions across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, following a 'from relief to recovery' approach delivered in partnership with local communities and organizations.
Product overview
ZOA is a humanitarian aid organization operating as a unified relief and recovery framework, not a technology product company. The organization delivers integrated humanitarian programs across multiple sectors including Water/Sanitation/Hygiene (WASH), Shelter, Education, Food Security and Livelihoods, Peacebuilding, Cash Assistance, Disaster Response, Climate Resilience, and Land Rights. These programs work together through a 'relief to recovery' approach, providing immediate emergency aid while supporting long-term sustainable development. Programs are implemented in fragile and conflict-affected countries across Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America, with particular focus on community-based approaches and local partnership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ZOA Dorcas: A collaboration between ZOA and Dorcas Aid Organizations, implementing peacebuilding and community development programs in South Sudan.
Products and services
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30,000 people participated in Community Based Sociotherapy sessions in Liberia over 10 years
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Stichting Zoa
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stichting Zoa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Stichting Zoa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MedaircorePartnership in Madagascar for emergency drought response. Medair implements water, food, and sanitation activities while ZOA provides support, funded by the Dutch Relief Alliance.
- Save the ChildrencoreCo-implementing partner in Madagascar's drought response, working alongside SOS Children's Villages, Tearfund, and Terre des Hommes.
- SOS Children's VillagescoreCo-implementing partner in Madagascar's drought response.
- TearfundcoreCo-implementing partner in Madagascar's drought response.
- Terre des HommescoreCo-implementing partner in Madagascar's drought response.
- PeaceNexus FoundationcoreSwiss foundation dedicated to building capacities for conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. Accompanied ZOA in organizational change process over 5 years (2015-2020).
- Knowledge Platform Security and Rule of LawminorZOA participates in this network to increase impact of peacebuilding projects.
- IICBScoreInternational Institute for Community Based Sociotherapy. ZOA works in partnership with IICBS for CBS methodology development, evaluation tools, and research in Liberia and other countries.
- YMCA LiberiacoreLocal implementation partner for CBS programming in Liberia.
- Peace Hub LiberiacoreLocal implementation partner for CBS programming in Liberia.
- AGRITERRAcorePart of consortium with VNG International implementing TRIDE project (Transition for Inclusive Development in Eastern DRC) funded by Embassy of Kingdom of Netherlands.
- VNG InternationalcorePart of consortium with AGRITERRA implementing TRIDE project in Eastern DRC focused on local economic development, land access, and governance.
- Help A ChildcoreCo-authored policy brief on Community Based MHPSS and peacebuilding with ZOA, recommending integration of MHPSS in peacebuilding programming.
- PDD (Programme Développement et Démocratie)coreCongolese organization partnering with ZOA for Community Based Sociotherapy implementation in DR Congo.
- AWACEcoreLocal partner implementing ZOA Dorcas peacebuilding project in South Sudan, setting up Peace Committees and CBS sessions.
- DorcascoreCollaboration between ZOA and Dorcas in South Sudan (ZOA Dorcas), implementing joint peacebuilding and recovery programs.
- Mi PareccoreBurundian peacebuilding organization collaborating with ZOA and Radboud University on research about Local Peace Committees.
- Radboud UniversitycoreAcademic partner in research project on enhancing Local Peace Committees in Burundi and DR Congo, developing toolbox with videos and discussion materials.
- Cash & Learning Platform (CaLP)minorNetwork that ZOA is an active member of, contributing to Grand Bargain commitments on cash programming.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Stichting Zoa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian organization working in conflict-affected and food-insecure contexts. Overlaps with ZOA on livelihoods, cash programming, and peacebuilding in shared geographies.
- International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief and recovery in conflict-affected countries. Direct overlap with ZOA in WASH, cash, shelter, and protection programming in similar fragile-state geographies.
- Oxfam: Large multinational humanitarian and development confederation with relief-to-recovery programming. Competes with ZOA for institutional donor funding across fragile-state contexts.
- Save the Children: One of the largest global INGOs in child-focused humanitarian and development work. Co-implements with ZOA in Madagascar and competes for similar institutional donor envelopes across many of ZOA's geographies.
Direct peers
- Terre des Hommes: International children's rights and humanitarian NGO active in fragile contexts, co-implementing with ZOA in Madagascar. Similar scale and operational model, including partnership-driven field delivery.
- Tearfund: International relief and development NGO focused on disaster response and community transformation. Co-implements with ZOA in the Madagascar drought response and shares the integrated relief-to-recovery orientation.
- Help A Child: Dutch INGO working with children and families in fragile contexts. Co-authored ZOA's MHPSS-peacebuilding policy brief and operates with comparable community-based, partnership-heavy delivery models.
- SOS Children's Villages: Global NGO focused on children, families, and crisis response. Co-implementing partner with ZOA in Madagascar and an established peer in the same humanitarian programming ecosystem.
- Dorcas: Dutch INGO with overlapping humanitarian and recovery programs, including a joint venture with ZOA (ZOA Dorcas) in South Sudan. Comparable size, mission, and donor profile in the Dutch humanitarian market.
- Medair: Switzerland-based humanitarian relief organization specializing in emergency response in conflict and disaster zones. Partners with ZOA on the Madagascar drought response and shares WASH, food, and sanitation focus areas.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stichting Zoa social profiles
Digital presenceStichting Zoa compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Stichting Zoa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stichting Zoa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Stichting Zoa subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Stichting Zoa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stichting Zoa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stichting Zoa
What does Stichting Zoa do?
Stichting Zoa is an international humanitarian relief and recovery organization that provides immediate emergency aid (food, water, shelter, sanitation) and supports long-term recovery for people affected by conflict and natural disasters. ZOA operates programs across Water/Sanitation/Hygiene, Shelter, Education, Food Security and Livelihoods, Peacebuilding, Cash Assistance, Disaster Response, Climate Resilience, and Land Rights in fragile regions across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, following a 'from relief to recovery' approach delivered in partnership with local communities and organizations.
Is Stichting Zoa a public or private company?
Stichting Zoa is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stichting Zoa founded?
Stichting Zoa was founded in 1973. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Stichting Zoa based?
Stichting Zoa is headquartered in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
Who are Stichting Zoa's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Oxfam and Save the Children. Direct peers are Terre des Hommes, Tearfund, Help A Child, SOS Children's Villages, Dorcas and Medair.
Does Stichting Zoa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stichting Zoa.
What industry is Stichting Zoa in?
Stichting Zoa's product category is Humanitarian Relief and Recovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAAAK, Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGAAAJ, Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support. Its NAICS code is 6242 and its SIC code is 8300.