SESDev was founded in 2009 but attained a legal status as non-profit, non-governmental organization in Liberia in 2011. SESDev’s focus, in the beginning, came from the expertise and relationships that the small founding team had with specific communities, primarily in the South eastern belt of Liberia particularly Sinoe County where there were growing demand of land for palm oil plantations and high incidence of human right abuses and violations abuse on customary land owners.