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ABOUT
US

Since 1999 we have worked alongside the most vulnerable communities to free their land and bring them access to water.

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Who we are

AN NGO SERVING
COMMUNITIESInternational solidarity since 1999

Founded in 1999, HAMAP-Humanitaire is a French international solidarity NGO. We work in mine action and in access to water and sanitation, alongside communities affected by conflict or struggling to obtain safe drinking water.

Our vision is of a world free of mines and explosive ordnance, where everyone has access to safe drinking water and where every family can live decently from the land and water resources of their own area.

We always work in partnership with local organisations, building their skills so that they can eventually take over and make the work last.

Children from a community supported by HAMAP-Humanitaire, greeting the team in the field.
Our objective
To enable communities to reach, recover and make the most of their resources.
Our mission
To help improve the living conditions of vulnerable communities.
Our commitment
HAMAP is committed to always working with local partners, supporting them towards self-reliance.

Working as close as possible to vulnerable communities, we provide direct support to more than 400,000 people every year.

Our history

SINCE
1999

27 years of action
21 countries of operation
400K+ people supported every year
1999
FoundingHamap is founded by Joël Kaigre
2002
MauritaniaFirst mine action project, in Nouadhibou
2005
MadagascarFirst drinking water project, in Antsirabe
2005
LebanonFirst sanitation project, with a treatment plant built at Kobayat hospital
2006
RecognitionHamap becomes an association of exclusively charitable purpose
2008
Oslo ConventionSigned by 94 countries, banning cluster munitions
2010
First paid teamA team of project managers is formed within Hamap
2011
The Friends of HamapLocal relay associations are set up across France
2015
New identityNew name and new logo: Hamap becomes HAMAP-Humanitaire
2016
French institutional supportFirst partnership with the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, for a mine action project in Iraqi Kurdistan.
2024
Opening to international cooperationFirst support from the Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs for a mine action project in Iraq.
2026
TodayA multidisciplinary team working with thousands of beneficiaries every year across 21 countries.

Our expertise

WATER & CLEARANCE:
OUR TWOFOLD EXPERTISEActing for the long term, for the most vulnerable communities

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)

Access to water
as a fundamental right

Nearly 2 billion people worldwide still have no safe drinking water. At HAMAP-Humanitaire, we work to guarantee lasting access to water and sanitation while building the self-reliance of local communities.

Because water is far more than a resource: it shapes health, education, food security, equality between women and men, and economic development.

Our objectives

Mine Action

Freeing land
from the legacy of conflict

The story of HAMAP-Humanitaire is closely tied to mine action: the name HAMAP stands for « Halte aux Mines Anti-Personnel ». Since 1999 we have worked to reduce the impact of conventional weapons on civilians, with a clear aim: to make land safe and give it back to local communities.

Method

Capacity
building

For 27 years, building the skills of local actors has been one of the pillars of HAMAP-Humanitaire's work. Convinced that the most lasting solutions come from as close as possible to the realities on the ground, we support partner organisations in developing their technical, organisational and institutional capacity.

A structured, step-by-step approach in 4 stages

Assessment and analysis of needs Assessing existing capacity and identifying strengths, challenges and priority needs, in order to build support suited to the partner's context and objectives.
Skills development and institutional support Developing technical, managerial and organisational capacity, supporting the back-office functions (governance, administration, finance, human resources, logistics, monitoring and evaluation) and improving internal systems and procedures.
Monitoring, support and impact measurement Regular monitoring to assess progress, adjust capacity building activities and measure the results achieved for the organisation's performance and durability.
Independence and durability Gradual transfer of skills and responsibility, so that the partner can run its activities independently, sustainably and resiliently.
Capacity building

Decentralised
cooperation

Decentralised cooperation is a partnership between local authorities in different countries, working together on local development projects while promoting intercultural exchange and inclusion. It favours direct, lasting exchanges in fields such as health, education and access to safe drinking water.

The decentralisation acts of 1992 and the Thiollière Act of 2007 made international action a competence of French local authorities in its own right, allowing them to sign partnership agreements with foreign local authorities to carry out development aid work.

1% of a local authority's budget may be devoted, voluntarily, to cooperation work.
Oudin-Santini Act, since 2005.

Our role as project management adviser

In this context, HAMAP supports French local authorities in their international solidarity projects, bringing them:

  • Technical experience
  • Knowledge of local issues and contexts
  • Support at every stage of the project
  • The search for additional funding
  • Coordination of the International Action of Local Authorities (AICT)
Comoros: water supply works carried out with the Dunkirk urban authority

Our organisation

GOVERNANCE
AND STRUCTUREAn organisation built for effectiveness in the field

Founded in 1999, HAMAP-Humanitaire is a French non-profit association under the 1901 Act, working in international aid, non-political and secular.

Its governance is set out in the association's statutes and internal rules.

01

The General Assembly

MeetsOnce a year
Attended byAll members

The sovereign body, empowered to take the major decisions on the association's mission, organisation and running.

  • Hears the Board's reports on the mission, the management and the financial position.
  • Approves the accounts for the closed financial year and votes the following year's budget.
  • Deliberates on the items on the agenda.
  • Appoints and renews the members of the Board.
02

The Board

Term3 years, renewable twice
MeetsSeveral times a year

The governing body, which runs the association in line with the strategy and budget voted by the General Assembly.

  • Elects the members of the Executive Committee from among its own members.
  • Ensures that the mission is respected and that the association runs properly.
  • Sees to it that the decisions voted by the General Assembly are carried out.
  • Works from an agenda prepared by the Executive Committee.
03

The Executive Committee

Term1 year
Made up ofChair, Secretary General, Treasurer

The executive body, elected for one year by the Board following the annual General Assembly.

  • Steers activities and the voted budget rigorously.
  • Checks that the organisation runs properly.
  • Ensures that the association's missions are properly carried out.
  • Acts as the interface between the Board and the executive management.

The Executive Committee

Founder & Honorary Chair
Joël Kaigre
Chair
Jean-Marie Paintendre
Treasurer
Luc Matray

Members of the Board

Esther Bitjoka Amina Dahane Alain Dutemps Céline Foireau Bernard Fontan Bruno Guillon Yves Lavail Louisette Le Fers Florence Njamfa Pascal Pollet Stéphane Saint-Cricq Eric de Williencourt
15
Volunteer board members
They approve the strategic objectives and steer the association's mission. They meet several times a year, from an agenda prepared by the Executive Committee.
21
Countries of operation
Head office in Saint-Denis, field teams deployed across 4 continents. Coordination between the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes and Mine Action.

Our strength lies in our ability to rely on local partners whom we support towards independence.

Jean-Marie Paintendre Chair of HAMAP-Humanitaire

Financial transparency

EVERY EURO
COUNTS82% of funds go straight to field missions

Audited organisation

Because trust is built on transparency, HAMAP publishes its certified accounts and its activity report every year, giving clear information on how funds are used and on the impact of its work.

Certified accounts
Public activity report
82%
of the resources raised go to programmes and activities carried out in the field.
18%
of the resources fund the essential support functions that guarantee the quality, the proper delivery and the lasting impact of our programmes.

Read our reference documents

Our presence in France

THE FRIENDS
OF HAMAPRelay associations across France

The "Friends of HAMAP" associations are independent associations under the 1901 Act, set up to run local events in the arts, culture and sport, whose proceeds support our development aid work. They can also become close partners on specific projects.

01

Local events

Arts, cultural and sporting events whose proceeds directly fund HAMAP's work in the field.

02

Project partners

Some branches become close partners on specific projects, strengthening the link between the field and donors.

03

Join or start one

Would you like to join a "Friends of HAMAP" association, or start one in your area? Get in touch.

The Friends of HAMAP associations in France

Bourgogne - Franche-ComtéPascale Bruleypascale.bruley@orange.fr
CatalogneGérard Concasgerard.concas@wanadoo.fr
CentreEric Williencourtamis.dhamap.centre@gmail.com
Finistère SudAude Jehanno Camaioniaudejehanno1@gmail.com
Hautes-PyrénéesJacques Gayraudjacquesgm.gayraud@gmail.com