History of ADRA
1956
ADRA's humanitarian work was first established in November 1956 by the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church to provide relief and welfare. The organisation was originally called Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS).
1958
SAWS organised relief shipments to 22 countries with a total value of about $US485,000. Four years later, the number of countries had increased to 29, with a total value of $US2.3 million in shipments. During this period, countries benefited included those in South America and the Middle East, sites of major disasters.
1970
By the mid-1970s, the organisation began to broaden its mission from disaster relief into programs leading to long-term development.
1973
As the Seventh-day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS) work expanded, its name was changed to Seventh-day Adventist World Service to better reflect our move into community development, not just welfare.
1978
SAWS establish an office in Australia as an official organisation for the South Pacific area under the initiative of the then SDA Division Treasurer, Pr Lance Butler. Pr Butler invited his then Associate Treasurer, Pr Allan H Forbes, to set up an Australian branch of SAWS based on the international model, which had been functioning officially since 1956.
At this time, SAWS work was to concentrate on the needs of people outside of Australia in the developing countries of the South Pacific region. SAWS also prepared for response to disasters in this region, which was so frequently battered by tropical cyclones and other natural disasters. Needs within Australia had long been the responsibility of the local SDA church Community Welfare or Dorcas Society.
1979
SAWS applied for, and received, its first grant from the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB), which amounted to $20,500.
1983
As SAWS moved from simply providing emergency relief to an ever-growing program of long-term community development, it changed its name to Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
ADRA's work grew rapidly with major programs in several countries emphasising community development, food distribution, institutional development and ongoing disaster relief. ADRA's activities included: building health clinics in Africa, assisting hurricane victims in Central America, teaching hygiene and health to children in Asia, and promoting awareness of worldwide humanitarian needs through ADRA's Global Village in the United States.
1992
ADRA Australia's growth had extended to grants totalling almost $2 million from AIDAB. Also during this year, within Australia, the Adventist Community Services (previously Community Welfare or Dorcas Society) changed its name to AdCare, with all community work still coordinated by a department of the SDA church and the responsibility of local SDA churches.
1995
The Australian Government's Agency for International Development (AusAID) introduced an accreditation process for non-government organizations (NGO's). ADRA Australia was given provisional full accreditation.
1997
ADRA became one of the leading non-governmental relief organisations in the world. In 1997, ADRA International was granted General Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, a unique opportunity giving ADRA added voice in the international community.
ADRA Australia becomes a signatory to the Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA). [Later renamed the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)]
1999
AdCare was transferred from being a department of the SDA church to become, ADRAcare, the National Program of ADRA.
2000
The government's Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) granted full accreditation to ADRA Australia.
The National Program, AdCare, changed its name to ADRAcare.
2001/2002
ADRA provided funding for over 30 international projects with a total budget of over 8.8 million in 28 countries in the South Pacific, Asia and Eastern Africa.
ADRAcare continued to grow, focussing on drug prevention and rehabilitation, Indigenous community development, at-risk youth intervention/youth suicide prevention, refuge houses and op-shop development.
