Strømme Foundation was founded in 1976 as the result of the commitment of former Reverend Olav Kristian Strømme of Kristiansand Cathedral to raise funds for people in need. Today, we have become a sizeable non-governmental development organisation in Norway, the largest outside Oslo.
When Olav Kristian Strømme died, his nephew, Gunnar Strømme, established the Strømme Memorial Foundation.
The first regional office opened in Bangladesh in 1989, then Peru in 1990, Mali in 1984 and Uganda in 1994. The Strømme Foundation's work in South America was phased out in 2019 and Sri Lanka in 2023.
In 2024, the Strømmestiftelsen discontinued its regional offices and switched to country offices in most countries of operation.
In line with Strømme Foundation’s purpose of helping people out of poverty (ref. Articles of Association), we have always been inspired by Christian values, and sought to concentrate development assistance work on the most vulnerable, through local partners.
Therefore, the focus on long-term development work through projects in education, economic inclusion and strengthening civil society has been a common thread since our inception.