operations report 2025
Consolidate. Strengthen. Scale
A letter from Madeline Vaughan, CEO
Dear friends,
2025 was a complex year for the international development sector. Shrinking aid budgets, major funding shocks and growing pressure on health and education systems globally created real challenges for communities living in poverty – and those working alongside them. Because of our business for purpose model, Adara does not take funding from governments, and we did not lose any funding during this period. However, many of our partners, governments and other organisations in international development experienced significant funding losses, with serious implications for the sector. In this environment, Adara stayed focussed on what we know makes the biggest difference: delivering high‑quality health and education services; strengthening local systems; sharing our knowledge widely to support others, and standing alongside communities with respect and purpose.
As I reflect on the year, I feel deeply proud of what we achieved together – not only because of the outcomes reached, but because of the strength, care and resilience shown by our teams, partners and the communities we serve. I saw this resilience at first hand – in clinicians mentoring younger colleagues through complex cases, and in teachers in remote Nepal continuing to show up for their students each day, even when resources were stretched thin. Despite widespread global uncertainty, we continued to deliver care and education that changed lives.
To navigate through the uncertainty in 2025, we made the decision to consolidate what we know works, strengthen the systems that sustain impact and scale our programmes with care and purpose. This focus guided our decisions throughout the year and is reflected in the theme of this report: ‘Consolidate. Strengthen. Scale’.
In practice, this meant investing in our programmes, our people, and the systems that underpin long‑term change. In 2025, we continued strengthening our evidence‑based models, AdaraNewborn and AdaraRemote, in order to uplift excellence, quality of service and sustainability.
Through AdaraNewborn, we invested in clinical mentorship, leadership and governance, as well as strengthening our monitoring, evaluation and learning systems. This work equips frontline health workers to provide consistently high‑quality care – often in complex, high‑pressure settings –so that mothers and newborns receive the care they need when it matters most. We marked an important milestone with the launch of our fourth core AdaraNewborn site, Nakasongola Health Centre. And we proudly achieved a 92% survival rate across AdaraNewborn neonatal units – a testament to the skill, commitment and care of the health workers delivering this life‑saving work every day.
Through AdaraRemote, we strengthened education, health, child protection, youth development and community resilience in remote Nepal. Across 15 schools, more than 2,000 students continued their education in places where access remains fragile and hard‑won. We expanded local higher education opportunities, and strengthened maternal and newborn care – achieving a 100% survival rate across all Adara‑supported birthing facilities.
Alongside service delivery, we continued to translate our experience into practical tools, evidence and training packages that are openly available through the Adara Knowledge Centre. We launched the AdaraNewborn Training Programme, supporting nurses and midwives in resource‑limited settings to deliver quality care to small and sick newborns, and released a Greenhouse Manual and instructional video to strengthen nutrition, food security and livelihoods in high‑altitude communities.
As we enter our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, the consolidation and strengthening undertaken in 2025 has positioned Adara to scale our models and reach more lives. At the same time, we remain grounded in the values and relationships that have shaped our organisation since the beginning.
None of this is possible without the extraordinary dedication of our teams and the trust and generosity of our supporters and partners around the world. As you read the pages that follow, I hope you feel proud of what we have built together – and confident in where we are heading.
With gratitude,
Madeline Vaughan
Chief Executive Officer
our impact in 2025
OUR MODELS OF EXCELLENCE
adaranewborn
AdaraNewborn is our evidence-based, high-impact model of maternal and newborn care, designed to increase survival rates for the sickest and smallest newborns and their mothers. It does this by supporting women and newborns from pregnancy through to their return home after birth.
AdaraNewborn provides health workers with training and mentorship; strengthens leadership and governance in the health system; equips facilities with the tools to succeed; focuses on establishing quality improvement systems; and shares knowledge with others. This creates sustainable systems change, saving lives now and reducing maternal and newborn deaths into the future.
adararemote
AdaraRemote is our holistic community development model, which aims to improve access to essential services for people living in remote areas. Implemented in two isolated districts in Nepal, the model surrounds people with the support they need to lead healthy and productive lives.
We aim to create solutions that not only address immediate needs but also drive long-term transformation. AdaraRemote spans five pillars of service delivery: Education, Child Protection, Youth Development, Health and Community Resilience. Together they support people – particularly women and children – to thrive.
AdaraBusiness
AdaraBusiness is our innovative business for purpose model. Through this model, the profits of our corporate advisory business, Adara Partners, fund our core support and administration costs. This allows 100% of donations from our supporters to go directly to project-related costs.
Adara Partners is possible thanks to a panel of 18 of the most senior members of the Australian financial services industry. They use their investment banking skills and expertise to provide advice and wise counsel to clients. Panel Members work for Adara Partners without recompense to support our work with people living in poverty.
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That’s just a fraction of what we achieved together in 2025. Download our full Operations Report for more updates on milestones, stories of impact, celebrations of our partners and supporters, and financials.
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