The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA or ADRA International) is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. It was founded in 1956, and it is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America. In 2004, ADRA reported assisting nearly 24 million people with more than US$159 million in aid. Its staff numbered over 4,000 members. As of the end of 2007, it had operations in 125 countries.GuideStar
Retrieved January 26, 2010. According to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'', in 2005, ADRA ranked among America's 200 largest charities.

Mission

The organization's mission statement is: "ADRA works with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive change through empowering partnerships and responsible actions." Its stated reason for existence is "to follow Christ's example by being a voice for, serving, and partnering with those in need", and the 1983 organizational documents include a biblical rationale for conducting humanitarian work.

Purpose

ADRA partners with communities, organizations, and governments in order to develop: *Food Security *Economic Development *Primary Health *Emergency Management *Basic Education ADRA says that it serves people without discriminating against their ethnic, political, or religious association. Priority is given to those with disabilities, children, and senior citizens. ADRA's areas of expertise include: Education, Emergencies, Food/nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Health, Refugees and IDPs, Shelter, Training and development, Water and sanitation, Women, Children, Monitoring and Evaluation, Programme management, and Security. A Los Angeles Times story from 1998 reports on ADRA's 1996 10-year strategic plan, which calls the agency "a bona fide ministry of Jesus Christ and the Seventh-day Adventist Church" and "provides a strategy to reach people previously untouched by other church institutions. The church's mission is incomplete without ADRA's distinctive ministry." Much has been said about faith-based agencies taking US government funding and using those funds to further religious doctrinal missions, however, ADRA does not proselytise. It claims to operate "by love with no strings attached". As a global organisation, ADRA is a signatory of the

Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief The Code of Conduct for International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief was drawn up in 1992 by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) to set ethical standards for organizations involved in humanitaria ...

, which states that "aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint", that "aid is given regardless of the race, creed, or nationality", and that organizations "shall respect culture and custom."Somalia's ruling militant group orders ADRA to leave the country
Adventist News Network. 2010/09/08

History

ADRA was established as the Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS) in November 1956. The name was changed to Seventh-day Adventist World Service in 1973.Our History
In 1983, the organisation was renamed the 'Adventist Development and Relief Agency' to better reflect its missions and activities.

International Development Degree Program

In 1996 ADRA and Andrews University established the ADRA Professional Leadership Institute (APLI). The institute provided field-based training and continuing professional education to ADRA staff around the world. By the year 2000, the APLI program was used as a model by the Food Aid Management members as an example of "best practices for local capacity building." The model was well received by

Africare Africare is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. which provides development aid for Africa. It was founded by Dr. Joseph Kennedy and C. Payne Lucas in 1970, former Peace Corps members who worked in eastern Niger. Africare is the l ...

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, and others. By 2003, the ADRA and Andrews University partnership offered a master's degree in International Development. More than 160 students had graduated. Sixty of those graduates had moved into management positions across the network. Seventh-day Adventist institutions of higher education on four continents offered degrees in International Development.

United Nations

The

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC) granted ADRA general

Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations ( NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and So ...

in 1997.

Emergency response

, ADRA International had responded to approximately 60 emergencies worldwide, by which more than 127,000 people have directly benefited.

External links

* * USA EIN 52–1314847 a
Charity-Navigator

ADRA Mauritanie

References

{{Authority control Charities based in Maryland Christianity in Silver Spring, Maryland Development charities based in the United States Humanitarian aid organizations Christian organizations established in 1956 International charities Christian relief organizations General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Religious charities based in the United States Christian charities based in the United States Seventh-day Adventist organizations