ADRA Asia: Extending Christ’s Love Through Humanitarian Action

ADRA’s (Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s) Asia Regional Office (sometimes simply abbreviated as ADRA Asia or ARO), one of the nine regional offices of ADRA International, is located in Bangkok, Thailand, and was established to provide administrative and programmatic support to ADRA national offices throughout Asia. Such support includes administrative assistance, strategic planning, financial system advice and monitoring, organizational development, program design, development and evaluation, and leadership development.

ADRA Asia covers three divisions and one mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Asia: Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD), Southern Asia Division (SUD), Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), and Chinese Union Mission (CHUM). ADRA Asia currently operates in 17 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. ADRA had also previously operated in Malaysia and North Korea.

Establishment and History of ADRA’s Asia Regional Office:

The ADRA International Board established ADRA’s Asia Regional Office on September 28, 1998, in consultation with the three relevant divisions. The board voted to approve in principle the establishment of new regional offices and by an immediately following action, “to appoint the directors of the first new regional office to be organized in Asia as follows: Jan Paulsen, Chairperson; Ron Watts, Vice-Chair; P. D. Chun, Vice-Chair; Regional Office Director, Secretary; Members would include P. D. Kunjachen, S. Maphapure, Ralph Watts, Mario Ochoa, Byron Scheuneman, S.W. Han, and Scot Christiansen, plus three individuals from the South Asia Pacific Division, should that division choose to participate in the new Regional Organization.”

The newly formed ADRA Asia Regional Office Board met on October 1, 1998, and appointed Gerald Lewis as the first Executive Director of ADRA’s Asia Regional Office. In addition, it approved a budget and selected Bangkok, Thailand as the location for the office. By 2001, a full regional leadership team was in place with Murray Millar (1999–2003) and Thierry Van Bignoot (2001–2003) serving as Programs and Finance directors, respectively. In 2003, Ronald Kuhn replaced Gerald Lewis as Executive Director and Thierry Van Bignoot (2003–2004) moved into the role of Programs director. Robyn Mordeno (2004–2008) joined as Finance director about a year later. Between 2005 and 2008, both Analynn Bruce (2005–2008) and Brendon Irvine (2006–2007) held the Programs Director position at different times.

In 2008, the Executive Director role transitioned to Daniel dos Santos, while Esmeralda Hasaj briefly filled the Finance Director role. In 2009, Brayden Howie (2009–2013) and Jair Parada (2009–2016) joined Daniel dos Santos in the Programs and Finance director roles, respectively. A new Executive Director, Wagner Herrman de Souza, began service in 2014, following a period of 11 months during which Jair Parada served as acting Executive Director while also filling the Finance and Programs roles. Subsequently, Brendon Irvine joined the team as Programs Director, and Ronald Sandoval Maitre (2017–2020) as Finance Director. Brendon Irvine served as acting executive director during 2017. Mark Webster began his tenure as Executive Director in January 2018 and served until 2022.

Frank Reimann assumed the role of Executive Director in 2022 and continues to lead ADRA Asia. Subsequently, Prabhook Bandaratilleke (Jan 1, 2024 – Present) joined as Director for Program Quality and Resource Acquisition, and Terence Cole (Jan 1, 2023 – Present) as Finance Director.

Role and Place in the Region:

In 2024, ADRA Asia undertook a comprehensive review of its organizational structure and operational strategies, leading to significant transformations. These key changes include building capacity and providing opportunities for national ADRA staff from the Asia region to take on more senior roles, streamlining governance and administrative processes to enhance efficiency and standardize policies, optimizing resource allocation for cost efficiency, and increasing and diversifying resource acquisition efforts, including enhancing project recoveries.

As part of this transformation, in January 2024, the ADRA Asia Regional Office transitioned to a hybrid working model. Staff members are based in their respective home countries, with the Regional Director operating from Bangkok. The office no longer has a shared physical space, instead utilizing cloud-based accounting and record-keeping systems. Weekly virtual meetings are conducted via Zoom, while quarterly directors’ meetings may require travel. Additionally, finance and accounting services are provided through service provider agreements in selected countries, further optimizing operational efficiency.

ADRA Asia plays a vital role in coordinating humanitarian and development initiatives across the region. It provides essential support to country offices, ensuring projects align with ADRA’s global mission and the humanitarian needs of each country.

List of Regional Directors:

  • Gerald Lewis (1999–2003)
  • Ronald Kuhn (2003–2008)
  • Daniel Dos Santos (2008–2013)
  • Wagner Herrman (2014–2016)
  • Mark Webster (2018–2022)
  • Frank Reimann (2022 – Present)

Sources

  • ADRA International Archives, available at the ADRA International Office, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.
  • ADRA International Office, 2018 ADRA Annual Report, available from the ADRA website: adra.org.
  • ADRA Asia Archives, available at the ADRA Asia Office, Bangkok, Thailand.

Notes

  1. ADRA International Board Minutes, September 28, 1998, actions 98-015 and 98-016. ADRA International Archives.
  2. ADRA Asia Regional Office Board Minutes, October 1, 1998, actions 98-001 to 98-004. ADRA Asia Archives.