RDRS was established as the Bangladesh field programme of the Geneva-based Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service (LWF/DWS) in February 1972 to provide relief, rehabilitation, and development assistance to the war-affected people in northwest Bangladesh. In 1997, RDRS was localised and registered under the Trust Act as a national NGO in Bangladesh. The organisation is registered with NGO Affairs Bureau in Bangladesh and Microcredit Regulatory Authority, and is governed by a Board of Trustees.
