Horn of Africa Peace Network (HAPEN) is a not-for-profit, Non-Governmental Organization established in 2008 in direct response to the immense suffering caused by protracted civil strife that has characterized the Horn of Africa since 1991. The organization is fully registered in Somalia and works across the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) nexus, engaging individuals, communities, and partners from the public and private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community- Based Organizations (CBOs), and think tanks and research institutions.
HAPEN’s programs support communities in areas of Peace-building and Development, Good Governance; Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism and Peace Building and Conflict Resolution; Natural Resources Management; and Humanitarian Services. The organization serves diverse population groups including pastoralists, farming communities, agro-pastoralists, fishing communities, urban and rural populations, returnees, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across Somalia. Target groups are more granular with focus on youth, women, marginalized groups, at-risk populations etc.
The organization was born from the commitment of indigenous professionals who recognized the urgent need to bridge the gap between suffering communities and the international humanitarian architecture — UN agencies, international NGOs, donor governments, and charitable institutions willing to support the people of Somalia. This founding philosophy continues to define HAPEN’s identity as a locally-anchored, internationally connected organisation.
Over its history, HAPEN has grown from a small pilot community-based relief and rehabilitation project into a multi-sectoral organisation managing an active portfolio of approximately USD 8.5 million. This growth is supported by donors including GCERF, IOM, UNHCR, SHF/OCHA, KOICA, and JICA, emphasizing HAPEN’s credibility and capability in managing large-scale, complex, and multi-sectoral programs.
HAPEN occupies a dual role in the humanitarian ecosystem: it serves as both a direct implementing agency delivering programs to beneficiaries, and as a trusted project monitoring, evaluation, and information-sharing partner for UN agencies and international donors.
This unique positioning allows HAPEN to understand program design from the inside while bringing rigorous independent oversight from the outside.
All of HAPEN’s programmes are founded on the understanding that local people are fundamentally responsible for their own development and that participatory approaches are the most effective tools for realizing broad-based, sustainable development. Programmes are open to all communities with no discrimination based on religion, age, gender, race, or tribal affiliation, though special attention is given to the needs of women, youth, and marginalized groups.
