African Development Solutions (ADESO)

For three decades, Adeso has been equipping communities in Africa with the skills they need to live self-sufficient lives. Adeso has implemented projects on water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental protection, education, livelihoods and emergency response in Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. Currently, all projects are being implemented in Somalia. We have also witnessed firsthand the unfair and imbalanced humanitarian aid system that has continued to devalue local organizations in the Global South. These experiences have pushed Adeso to be at the forefront of developing dynamic and critical infrastructure necessary for a better, more equitable aid system. Adeso became a leader in the localization movement during the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. After successfully advocating for the Grand Bargain Agreement and the commitment to direct funding, Adeso co-launched and is incubating the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR). NEAR is a consortium of organizations from the Global South that share a common goal of promoting fair, equitable and dignified partnerships in the current aid system.