SOS Sahel UK was established in 1985 in response to the drought and famine of the 1970s and 80s that brought the Sahel region's people to world attention. Though we were born out of emergency, our goal has always been to deliver long-term development in the Sahel region.
African roots
We are a member of SOS Sahel International - a federation of voluntary associations in six African and three European countries that are all active in development in the Sahel. This federation was founded in Africa in the 1970s by Africans responding to the droughts that were affecting their region. The African associations are operational, while the associations in France and Luxembourg are solely fundraising. SOS Sahel UK is the only Europe-based member of the federation that implements its own projects, obtains grants from bilateral and multilateral aid agencies for most of its work and is the only Anglophone member.
The member associations share an exclusive focus on the Sahel region; however each organisation is autonomous and each has differences in approach and speciality. There is an international meeting in Africa every year, when the members bring each other up to date on their activities and discuss current developments. SOS Sahel UK is keen to play a unique role in linking developments in environmental management in Anglophone and Francophone areas of the Sahel, which are historically divided.
