Hivos

Hivos (Dutch: Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation)[1] is an international cooperation organization, with its global office in The Hague, The Netherlands. Hivos provides support to civil society organizations working in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. It is one of very few INGOs with a distinctly humanist ethos.

Hivos
FoundedJanuary 5, 1968 (1968-01-05)[1]
FocusFree and sustainable world
Location
Area served
Africa, Asia, Latin America
MethodGrants, funding, campaigns
Key people
  • Edwin Huizing, executive director[3]
  • Michel Farkas, Chief Operations Officer
  • Mendi Njonjo, regional director, East Africa
  • Tanja Lubbers, regional director, Latin America
  • Biranchi Upadhyaya, manager Strategy & Impact
  • Will Janssen, manager Business development
Endowment69 million in 2019 [4]
Employees
384 (137 in the Netherlands) in 2016[2]
Websitewww.hivos.org

History

Hivos emerged out of the organised humanist movement in the decades following the establishment of Humanists International in Amsterdam in 1952, as a culmination of Dutch humanists' growing desire to have a meaningful social impact through international development. Thus Hivos was founded in 1968 by the Dutch Humanist Association, the Association and Humanitas Weezenkas. The founders held the conviction that development work should be secular, as true cooperation presumes respect for differing beliefs. In the first ever brochure, the founders wrote that “necessary changes should spring from communities themselves – from people at the base of society.” These convictions are still reflected in Hivos its work.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Hivos was one of the first major Dutch NGOs that opened offices in the Global South to operate in the close vicinity of its civil society partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders there.

Organization

Location

Hivos' Global Office is in The Hague. Hivos currently works in 40 countries and has regional hubs in Latin America, East Africa, Southern Africa and North Africa and the Middle East (MENA). Hivos’ regional hubs, working alongside many partner organizations and take the lead in defining regionally and nationally specific programs.

In the next several years, Hivos will particularly seek to expand collaborations and partnerships in the MENA region and increase its advocacy efforts in the Netherlands. It will continue its presence in Latin America and merge the hubs in East Africa and Southern Africa. Hivos will hand over its Southeast Asia activities to the recently formed local NGO Yayasan Hivos in Indonesia.

At the beginning of 2020, one third of Hivos staff worked at the Global Office in The Hague, while two-thirds work at regional and country offices. Staff in the regions are mainly non-Dutch and also hold management positions in the regional offices, including those of Regional Director.

Governance

Hivos is managed by the Executive Board, consisting of Executive Director Edwin Huizing and the Chief Operations Officer Michel Farkas. The Management Team is made up of the heads of the Strategy and Impact Department and the Business Development Department, the four directors of their regional hubs and a few other management positions.

The Strategy and Impact Department is headed by Biranchi Upadhyaya. Will Janssen serves as the head of the Business Development Department.

References
  1. "History". Hivos International. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. "About Hivos". Hivos International. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. "Organisation". Hivos International. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  4. "Hivos facts and figures 2011".
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