Adeso

Adeso is a portmanteau of Africa Development Solutions.[1]

Founder Fatima Jibrell

Adeso was founded in Connecticut, in 1991 by environmental activist Fatima Jibrell.[2] Adeso was initially known as Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization, with a mandate to provide a response to humanitarian needs in Somalia in the context of the Somali civil war and its effects on Jibrell's homeland of Somalia.[3] Initial activities included the protection of acacia trees and old growth forest against logging for charcoal.[4]

In 1998, the organization changed its name to Horn Relief.[5]

In 2002, in response to Jibrell's advocacy work, the Puntland Government banned the export of charcoal in the region.[6] The same year, Jibrell won the international Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa.[7][4]

The organisation implemented the first large-scale cash transfer program in Somalia in 2003.[8]

In 2006, Jibrell retired as executive director, and was succeeded by her daughter Degan Ali. The following year, Jibrell won the National Geographic's Buffett Award for Leadership in African Conservation,[9] and the organisation published a cash transfer implementation manual.[10] Also in 2006, the organisation launched a women's literary program in Sanaag, Somaliland.[2] The program was initially met with some resistance from people who objected to women's education on religious grounds, however staff demonstrated that Koranic verses supported the education of women.[2]

The organisation changed its name to Adeso in 2012.[11] Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi joined Adeso as a voluntary Goodwill Ambassador in 2014.[12]

In 2019, Adeso pushed for a shift of power towards locally-community run humanitarian organisations.[13] Adeso was one of the 286 organisations chosen by MacKenzie Scott to receive a share of her US$2.7 billion unrestricted donation in 2021.[14]

A significant part of Adeso's work is the delivery of cash assistance, which is often provided to pastoralists.[2] Cash is used by people to pay off debt, and meeting their basic education and healthcare needs.[2] Adeso adopts a "Inclusive Community-Based Targeting" approach to its activities, adjusting to local cultural and religious norms, respecting the traditional community hierarchy and role of elders and communities leaders who form Village Relief Committees.[2] The committees are obliged to consist of at least 40% women.[2] The committee meets in a public space (in what is known locally as a kulan) and discusses the needs of each potential program beneficiary and then does house-to-house verification of unmet humanitarian needs.[2] This process improves local community ownership of the program and means that the needs assessment, while slower than traditional humanitarian aid, is done by people with the best local knowledge.[2]

Other program activities include women's literacy, cash-for-work programs, and agriculture programs that provide seeds and tools to pastoralists[2] Adeso's community education about environment covers the impacts of charcoal use small scale irrigation.[6]

Advocacy efforts cover topics such as illegal overfishing in Somali waters[15] and the importance of allowing cash remittances into Somalia.[16]

Activities are centred around the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somali[9] and extend also into Kenya and South Sudan.[6]

Adeso has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom, Kenya, and the United States.[17][18] There are approximately 45 staff in the Nairobi head office and nearly 250 staff in field offices. The 2012 revenues for Adeso were $25 million.[19]

• Network for Empowered Aid Response

• Official website