Promoting data-driven community transformation for sustainable development
We are working with young people in the lake region to build capacity, evidence, governance and innovations needed to ensure data and AI work for communities.
Build capacity
Govern
(Rights, accountability & responsibility)
Innovate
(Public-interest platforms, Social enterprise)
Generate evidence/lessons
Scale
(Influence/ Advocate)
IDL Thematic Pillars
Capacity
Building the skills and agency of young people and grassroot organizations to generate, use evidence, and meaningfully participate in data, AI and digital transformation
Governance
Advancing data & digital rights, digital safety, accountability and responsible data and AI; including building community movements’ power to participate and hold systems accountable
Innovation
Co-creating, testing and scaling public-interest data and AI solutions to actual community challenges and advance inclusive participation in the digital economy.
Public-Interest Tech
Platforms we run
IDL supports local innovators, STEM institutions, civil societies, decision makers and communities to co-create, test and scale responsible data and AI solutions to public-interest challenges
Ventures we've Incubated
IDL incubates and tests community-focused, responsible technology solutions, supporting their scaling and commercialisation.
Ijue Data Yako Initiative
Everything we build starts with one question: does this give communities more power over their own data?
Three pillars guide our work:
Together, these pillars shape the programmes, platforms and partnerships through which we turn ideas into meaningful community impact.
The Problem & IDL Fix
Kenya's Data Protection Act (2019) is landmark legislation, but without grassroots enforcement , it remains an abstraction for most community organizations , the second largest holders of community data after the government agencies .
IDL translates complex legal frameworks into actionable organizational procedures , moving organizations from abstract understanding to formal ODPC registration and operational compliance . For us, compliance is not a checkbox but a culture shift .
Programs & Projects
What’s currently running
CAPACITY
Data & AI Learning Labs
Hands-on data literacy training for young people across the Lake Region, delivered through community learning hubs.
GOVERNANCE
Ijue Data Yako Initiative
Helping grassroots organizations move from ODPC registration to real operational compliance under Kenya's Data Protection Act.
INNOVATION
Data & AI Innovation Labs
Incubation space for public-interest tech ideas from local innovators, STEM institutions and civil society.
Be part of the IDL Collaborative Network
Maximize the power of collaboratively generated data in an inclusive data ecosystem