name: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
text: The Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) is an apolitical, and non-confessional international relief agency created in Afghanistan. The first projects were initiated in Kabul in 1993 to bring relief to populations affected by more than 15 years of conflict.
  
  ACTED's activities then rapidly expanded to the entire country and subsequently to neighbouring countries in 1996 (namely Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), with the aim of developing a regional strategy throughout Central Asia. 
  
  The organisation continued its expansion, opening offices in Central Africa in 1997, in order to help populations affected by the Congo-Brazzaville conflict, in Central America in 1998 following Hurricane Mitch, in the Balkans after the conflict in Kosovo, and in the Middle-East, in 2003, to support Iraqi population. 
  
  In 2004, ACTED continued its involvement in Central Africa by opening missions in Chad and Sudan to respond to the Darfur crisis.
  
  In 2005, the organisation has started emergency reconstruction activities in South Asia after the tsunami disaster, and is now working in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
  
  ACTED develops about 150 projects a year in such diversified activities as Emergency Relief, Food Security, Health Promotion Network, Economic Development, Education and training, Micro finance, Advocacy - Institutional Support and Regional Dialogue, and Cultural promotion. 
  
  As of today, ACTED is active in 17 countries (Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, Macedonia, Nicaragua, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo RDC, Iraq, Chad, Haiti, Sudan , India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan). The organization employs approximately 100 international staff and more than 2000 national staff. The headquarters for the organization are located in Paris (France).
  
  http://www.acted.org/