Media Kit - ACDI/VOCA

Who We Are

ACDI/VCA is a global non-profit development design and delivery partner that has implemented effective economic and social development projects around the world since 1963. We are a 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, DC that resulted from the 1997 merger of Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI), founded in 1963, and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA), founded in 1970. We pronounce our name “A-C-D-I vō-kə.”

We design and implement economic and social development programs around the world. ACDI/VOCA and our affiliates that make up AV Group pursue similar missions through different funding sources, including governments, philanthropic organizations, and corporations.

What We Do

The best way to ensure durable outcomes for issues like food security, economic prosperity, and access to finance is through locally driven market solutions. We help developing countries sustainably improve key economic sectors as partners in program design and implementation across the public and private sectors.

ACDI/VOCA in Action

What does that look like when put into action? Explore examples of our work around the world, below:

We improve food security among poor and vulnerable populations.

In TANZANIA, our program scaled up innovations in rice and maize farming technology and practices. These efforts made the market for grains more competitive and profitable for farmers. As the resulting demand for fortified flour grows, nutrition levels, especially among women and children, also improve.

We connect people and businesses to create jobs and strengthen economic market systems.

In BANGLADESH, our program incentivized companies to work with farmers in the country’s cyclone-prone southern region. We engaged the private sector to train farmers to produce higher-quality, higher-priced crops. This way, farmers gained a market for selling their crops, while companies gained a stable supplier. This market connection between farmers and companies enables trade to continue long after the program ends.

We support communities in building resilience to conflict, shock, and stress.

Many pastoralists communities in Northern KENYA’s arid and semi-arid lands experience drought, hunger, and undernutrition. Our program collaborated with the national and local government to expand and diversity income opportunities, which often involve livestock-related businesses. We strengthened policies that supported these jobs and supported the successful management of natural resources, such as rangeland and water availability.

We seek solutions to financial barriers.

Small businesses are the backbone of most economies, but many are too large for microloans and too small for commercial investment. In THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC, our program supported small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by partnering with the private sector, offering blended finance to lower the risk of investing in them, and improving their access to capital through accelerator programs.