The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was established in 1956 to provide humanitarian relief and welfare regardless of ethnic, political or religious association. Founded by the Seventh–day Adventist Church, the organization was originally known as the Seventh–day Adventist Welfare Service (SAWS). Within decades SAWS expanded from disaster response to initiating long term development projects. By the 1970s SAWS changed its name to ADRA to fully reflect its new mission and direction.