Cordaid is an internationally operating value-based emergency relief and development organization, mostly working in conflict-affected countries. It is one of the biggest
international development
International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...
organizations in the Netherlands, with a network of hundreds of partner organizations in countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
History
Cordaid was founded in 2000 in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. Its mission was – and is – to address structural poverty, provide medical aid, aid to the most disadvantaged, as well as emergency and refugee relief. Its foundation consisted of a merger of three Dutch Catholic development organizations: Memisa Medicus Mundi (created in 1925), Mensen in Nood (People in Need, created in 1914) and
Lenten Campaign/Bilance.
The history of these organizations goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, providing relief to World War 1 refugees in the Netherlands and doing medical missionary work abroad. For decades these organizations provided health care, famine relief, shelter, and other forms of assistance in dozens of countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
In 2015, when forced migration, displacement, and conflict had become key drivers of global dynamics, Cordaid shifted its focus to conflict-affected and volatile countries and to addressing causes of fragility.
In January 2021, the protestant organization
ICCO joined forces with Cordaid, realizing the largest merger in the Dutch development sector to this day.
With ICCO, Cordaid expanded its scope and its fields of expertise, including climate resilient food systems and food security.
Collaboration
Cordaid is part of several networks, among them
CIDSE
CIDSE, which is short for "Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité" (French for "International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity"), is an umbrella organization for Catholic development agencies from Europe an ...
,
Caritas International
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Collectively and individually, their missions are to work to build a bet ...
,
Medicus Mundi International, and the ACT Alliance. Cordaid is working closely with other international NGOs, and collaborates with over 300 partner organizations worldwide. Its financial support comes from a private donor base in the Netherlands (250.000 in 2019) and from major donors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Global Fund, and the World Bank.
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References
External links
Cordaid
{{Authority control
Caritas Internationalis
CIDSE
International development agencies
Organisations based in The Hague