Building the capacity to participate, decide and shape economic opportunity
Development is not only about creating access or establishing institutions. It is about enabling people to progressively take greater control over the decisions, resources and opportunities that shape their livelihoods.
A direction of change
IDF's work has evolved around a simple direction of change:
Participation
People come together, save, learn and engage with opportunities.
Capability
People strengthen the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed choices and act.
Economic Participation
People use finance, technology, enterprise and markets to strengthen their livelihoods.
Collective Action
People work together to address shared needs and create greater economic value.
Ownership
People increasingly participate in, influence and own the institutions and enterprises through which they pursue their economic interests.
From being reached → to being capable → to being economically engaged → to becoming owners.
The direction matters more than the structure.
An institution is valuable not simply because it exists, but because people use it, participate in it and gain greater agency through it.
The same principle applies to enterprises and supporting organisations: their value lies in what they enable people to do.
This is the direction that has shaped IDF's work across different programmes, communities and institutions.