SNV is a non-profit, international development organisation, established in the Netherlands in 1965. We have been present on the ground in developing countries for over 40 years, and now operate in 36 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans. SNV’s 1100 professionals come from a variety of cultural and technical backgrounds and over 60 per cent are nationals of the countries where we work.

What do we do?
Our aim is to alleviate poverty by enabling those on the lowest incomes to be part of social and economic networks and so increase their income and employment opportunities. More than half of our work focuses on economic and private sector development. Alongside this, we contribute to improving people’s access to basic services like water and sanitation, energy and education. We achieve both by strengthening local organisations.

Promoting gender equity and transparent public sector leadership is at the heart of all our work. We believe these principles are essential to building stronger societies.

We work in the areas where our support is most needed. The majority of our advisors are based far from capital cities, in provincial towns and in rural areas, where the challenges of poverty are often greatest. From this sub-national level, we can facilitate links between local and national organisations.

More about SNV
Our Mission summarises the purpose of our work. Our Strategy guides our work in the field and ensures that we remain accountable for what we do.

The page on Organisation explains how SNV is structured, including the location of our regional offices and Head Office.

The News and Events page will give you a sense of the range of our external activities internationally and within the Netherlands.

The History page will give you a brief insight into the evolution of SNV since its inception in 1963.