Image by World Bank/Lakshman Nadaraja

Partnerships and collaboration

Project partnerships

We deliver a range of projects in formal partnership with other organisations, where their skills and expertise complement our own. These include:

  • Inclusive Futures – DI works with Sightsavers and 14 other organisations as part of the Inclusive Futures initiative, which is funded by UK aid and works to ensure that people with disabilities are able to represent themselves and make their own decisions. Our aim under the programme is to create and test innovative approaches to improve the long-term economic empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. In particular, DI's focus is on the quality and use of disability data in these four target countries.
  • Vulnerability and resilience in Somalia – DI works with national partners in Somalia to conduct research in the region. We worked with the Somali Institute for Development Research and Analysis on our recent study of resilience and vulnerability in Somalia, with the Institute leading on data collection and contributing to the drafting of field reports, stakeholder validation and feedback.
  • Improving open data in Nepal – DI has worked in partnership with The Asia Foundation and a range of local partners to implement a programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development. The programme aimed at helping national and local actors in Nepal to overcome the challenges around gathering, accessing and using data, and on raising awareness among all stakeholders of the impact that data can have.

Collaborations

We are an agile and collaborative organisation, and we make the most of every opportunity to work with experts and institutions that can help us to maximise our impact. Some examples include:

  • Overseas Development Institute (ODI) – DI has worked with ODI to examine how subnational financing from donors and governments targets poverty. In two recent reports we’ve looked at spending by both governments and donors to human capital and pro-poor sectors such as health and education in some of the poorest countries.
  • The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) – we frequently collaborate with UBOS on the delivery of events. These have included the National Data Forum in 2017, a session at the World Data Forum in 2018 and Africa Statistics Week 2018 in Kampala, where we conceptualised, organised and presented a range of events across seven days. Working with UBOS has allowed DI access to the national statistical system in Uganda, and helped us to develop our Spotlight on Uganda.
  • Oxfam – We collaborate with Oxfam to deliver events and develop analysis on specific issues. This has included hosting a US roundtable to build engagement around our Investments to End Poverty work, and working together on two reports that examined the traceability of US aid to Ghana and Swedish aid to Tanzania using IATI data.

“We chose to work with DI because they are local and they have localised their data – you can get information at the regional, national, subnational and even district levels."

Africa Kiiza, Programme Officer, Trade Policies and Negotiations, SEATINI