Your team on the ground in Ethiopia
If your organisation wants to carry out projects in Ethiopia but has no local structure, we can be your team there.
For twenty years we have been implementing projects for some of the most demanding funders in the sector: UK aid, AECID, Fundación Mundo Sano, Fundación Real Madrid, Fundación Parentes, CSIC and many more.
Does your organisation want to work in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia is one of the countries most in need of international cooperation, but also one of the most complex to operate in. Knowing the territory, having well-established relationships with local authorities and being able to implement directly on the ground are not things that can be built overnight.
ADS has been working in Ethiopia without interruption for more than 20 years. We are legally registered as a humanitarian organisation in the country, we have our own local team and we have implemented projects in several regions: Afar, Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz.
In Ethiopia we operate under our original name, Amigos de Silva, by which authorities, local partners and communities have known us from the start.
This makes us a solid local partner for organisations that want to carry out projects in the country but have no physical presence there.
What we can offer you
Legal and institutional coverage
Operating in Ethiopia requires registration as an international organisation, project-by-project authorisations and agreements with ministries and regional bureaus. We have had all of this since 2007 and keep it up to date with every regulatory change (including the transition to the current ACSO).
Local team in a permanent office
A mixed Spanish-Ethiopian team with our own office in the country. They know the federal and regional administrative procedures, how long each process really takes and which partners on the ground are reliable.
Technical expertise across many fields
Drilling and construction of water infrastructure, rehabilitation and construction of health and education facilities, agroecological systems and advanced water treatment projects. Technical capabilities proven through more than a hundred completed projects.
Full project cycle management
Identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation based on technical criteria. We meet the financial accountability and reporting requirements of major public donors (AECID, UK aid) and private donors (foundations, companies).
Institutional relationships in Ethiopia
Direct dialogue with federal ministries (Health, Water, Education, Justice), regional bureaus, local authorities (woreda and kebele), Ethiopian universities and international partners (WHO, UNICEF, MSF, DNDi, LSHTM).
How does it work?
Every collaboration is different. We don’t have a single, fixed model. What matters is to understand your project and see where our team on the ground can add the most value. From there, we work out together the approach that suits both sides best.
Over the years we have worked with funders, organisations and foundations of very different kinds. In some cases, we have been the implementing team for large-scale programmes. Between 2016 and 2019 we implemented UK aid’s KalaCORE programme against visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia. With a budget of €1.95 million, we strengthened 32 health facilities in four regions.
In others, we have provided operational support to organisations with their own technical team. With Fundación Mundo Sano and WHO we worked to tackle the intestinal parasite Strongyloides. We provided the structure on the ground, and they provided the specialist expertise.
And in others, we have been the local partner that paves the way and builds connections with authorities, institutions and communities. With Fundación Real Madrid we opened its first sport and education school in Ethiopia (Sagure). With Fundación Parentes we built three schools in Sagure, Jimma and Semera.
Let’s talk!
If your organisation is exploring projects in Ethiopia and would like to find out how we could work together, write to us. We’ll tell you about our experience and assess together whether there is a good fit.