A Ugandan development network

Partnership that reaches the last household.

IDPN brings civil society, faith institutions, government and development partners together to deliver sustainable development across Uganda.

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Women seated together during an IDPN community session in Yumbe District

A community session in Yumbe District on preventing domestic violence and raising health awareness.

areas of intervention

from WASH to Islamic social finance

programme pillars

grouping how the work is delivered

leadership members

founding members and department heads

frameworks aligned to

Uganda's plans, the SDGs, Agenda 2063

Development work in Uganda is not short of effort. It is short of coordination.

Community organisations, faith institutions and professional associations across the country carry real capability. What they often lack is a platform that connects them to each other, to government, and to the partners who fund the work.

IDPN was established to be that platform. The Network is guided by the ethical values of Islam, and it serves all people equally, regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender, political affiliation, nationality, disability or social status.

Read the full profile Meet the leadership

A community health worker examining a young child at a rural homestead

The Health Department is led by a Christian professional.

Roles are held on competence and integrity, not on faith.

What guides the work

Six values that decide how a programme is designed, not just how it is described.

Adl

Justice

Programmes are designed so that benefit reaches the people with the least, not the people who are easiest to reach.

Amanah

Trust

Every shilling, donation and asset placed with the Network is held on behalf of the community it was given for.

Shura

Consultation

Communities, elders, local government and partners shape an intervention before it is designed, not after.

Rahmah

Compassion

The work begins with the household in front of us: the widow, the orphan, the displaced family, the patient without a clinic.

Ihsan

Excellence

Work is done to a standard we would accept for our own families, and it is documented so it can be verified.

Maslahah

Public welfare

Interventions are judged by the lasting public good they create, not by how visible they are.

Sixteen areas of intervention, delivered through six pillars.

See every area in detail

A young maize garden under early rains in Uganda

Livelihoods and food security

Raising household income and putting food on the table through better farming and organised saving.

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A woman and a young man filling jerrycans at a community tapstand

Health, water and sanitation

Prevention, awareness and safe water, delivered where the nearest facility is a long walk away.

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A health worker examining a child at a rural homestead

Education, skills and institutions

Learning that leads somewhere, and community organisations strong enough to keep delivering.

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Shelters and open ground in a refugee settlement in West Nile

Protection and humanitarian response

Standing with refugees, orphans, women and persons with disabilities when shocks hit hardest.

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A maize garden bordered by trees in the late afternoon

Climate, environment and infrastructure

Farming that survives a longer dry season, and the water points and buildings a community keeps.

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Worshippers on the terrace of the Uganda National Mosque in Kampala

Peace, evidence and Islamic social finance

Dialogue, honest measurement and charitable giving turned into structured development.

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Community development and poverty reductionAgriculture, food security and sustainable livelihoodsHealthcare, nutrition and mental health promotionWater, sanitation and hygieneEducation, literacy and vocational skills developmentInstitutional strengthening and leadership developmentHumanitarian assistance and emergency responseChild protection and support for orphansRefugee support and social protectionWomen, youth and disability inclusionClimate adaptation, conservation and renewable energyCommunity infrastructure developmentPeacebuilding, dialogue, mediation and social cohesionResearch, innovation, monitoring, evaluation and learningMedia development, communication and digital transformationIslamic social finance: Zakat, Sadaqah and WaqfCommunity development and poverty reductionAgriculture, food security and sustainable livelihoodsHealthcare, nutrition and mental health promotionWater, sanitation and hygieneEducation, literacy and vocational skills developmentInstitutional strengthening and leadership developmentHumanitarian assistance and emergency responseChild protection and support for orphansRefugee support and social protectionWomen, youth and disability inclusionClimate adaptation, conservation and renewable energyCommunity infrastructure developmentPeacebuilding, dialogue, mediation and social cohesionResearch, innovation, monitoring, evaluation and learningMedia development, communication and digital transformationIslamic social finance: Zakat, Sadaqah and Waqf

In the field

Programmes running now

All projects

Ongoing

Water and sanitation

Clean water and borehole development

Water sources for communities, mosques, schools and health facilities where a safe supply is still a long walk away.

West Nile and partner communities

Ongoing

Agriculture

Agro-farming: coffee and cocoa for West Nile

Improved planting material and climate-smart practice to diversify smallholder income beyond subsistence crops.

West Nile region

Ongoing

Women's empowerment

Women's savings and financial skills

Budgeting, goal setting and collective saving with women's groups, so that small and irregular income still builds something.

West Nile

The people accountable for the work

Full leadership

Draga Osman Brahan

Director and Chief Executive Officer

Journalist, community leader and progressive farmer who sets the Network's strategic direction.

Hon. Avako Naima Musa Gule

Founding Member and Patron

Educationist and legislator who champions the Network's work on education and inclusion.

Fatuma Jamila

Secretary and Founding Member

Academic and procurement specialist who holds the Network's governance and administrative systems.

Rose Candiru

Head of Health Department

Registered nurse leading the Network's health programmes and community health interventions.

Sheikh Adam Okua

Head of Muslim Projects

Amir coordinating water, mosque, orphan support and seasonal relief programmes.

Baiti Jamal

Head of Information Technology and Communications

Leads the Network's digital systems, communication platforms and information management.

All nine members

Latest from the Network

All news and articles

A trader at a lit kiosk in the evening in West Nile

Women's empowerment14 July 20262 min read

MAYUKO women urged to build a saving culture as a route out of poverty

At a financial skills training session, IDPN Director Draga Osman Brahan told MAYUKO women that consistent saving, planning and collective action are the practical steps that move a household out of poverty.

Health

IDPN sensitises women on domestic violence prevention and HIV awareness in Yumbe District

Hon. Avako Naima Gule Musa sat among women from the community for a session on preventing domestic violence, building peaceful families and raising awareness of HIV and Hepatitis.

Agriculture

Coffee and cocoa seedlings for West Nile farmers, and the drought that tested the nursery

IDPN raised coffee and cocoa seedlings for distribution across West Nile. A prolonged dry season cost much of the nursery, and the lesson has been folded into how the next round is planned.

Bring a community, a mosque, a district or a fund to the table.

Membership is open to individuals and institutions that share the objectives of the Network, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation.

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Reach the office directly

P.O. Box 341810, Uganda. Field operations across West Nile, Yumbe District and partner communities across Uganda.