Divine Agency for Integrated Development (DivineAid), formerly Divine Waters Uganda, was established in June 2001 as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and registered with the National NGO bureau. For nearly two decades, it envisioned “a whole man living with hope in a healthy community environment” with a mission to improve community health and livelihoods through sustainable and integrated c
ommunity-led skills. These programming pillars enabled the organization to pursue holistic approaches that contributed to a meaningful transformation of many lives. The Organization targeted communities of northern and north-eastern Uganda that suffered from the two-decade-long violent conflicts between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and government forces. Thousands were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, the war destroyed basic infrastructure, disrupted traditional farming practices, and led to dependence on emergency aid. The resultant emotional wounds left people struggling to hold on to hope and at the same time creating a strong basis and opportunity for the entrance of Divine Waters Uganda into communities. In 2018, the organization undertook an in-house reflection in view of its stakeholders, visibility, and the wider context of the operation. The process revealed that certain aspects of the organization no longer fitted changes in the context, stakeholder demands, changes in the water sector and donor preferences. The identity, vision, mission and strategic objectives of the organization no longer reflected the trajectory of growth and development of the Organization. This affected its visibility, relevance and effectiveness to meet the needs of the sector and the target communities. Further, DivineAid’s advocacy works were not well articulated in previous strategic plans. These gaps collectively slowed resource mobilization and reduced chances to effectively coordinate and advocate in the WASH sector. Therefore, the development of a new strategic plan was necessary to streamline directions, approaches, strategies and working with other civil society entities. Recently DivineAid re-branded and gave itself a new face. Its new identity takes it beyond just the waters and divinity for which it was long known. It also reviewed and strengthened its constitution as part of the governance strengthening. The new vision, “a community living a holistic life in a healthy environment” is an outcome of extensive consultative processes that provides DivineAid with a wider perspective in development interventions. Similarly, the new mission, “to empower communities through capacity building, networking, research, partnership and collaboration with other development actors for the realization of holistic and sustainable development” provides a strong basis for effective and meaningful intervention supported by relevant strategies. The organization thus focuses on four thematic areas namely; Integrated Water Resources Management; Environment and Climate change; Livelihoods and Economic Development; and Institutional and Organizational Development. The new brand enhances the inclusion of all stakeholders and establishes systems and capacity to enhance learning and improvements in programs. It creates the basis for the development of a realistic resource mobilization plan and seeks to maintain a firm foundation in developing community capacity. Through proven technical expertise in the WASH sector, commitment to community-led programming, innovative WASH promotion strategies, and working in partnership with national and international stakeholders, DivineAid is poised to significantly impact development in areas of provision of safe and clean water, sanitation, and improved health to the people of Uganda.
