The Rift Valley Institute is a non-profit research and training organization working with communities and institutions in the Sudans, the Horn, Eastern Africa and the Great Lakes. RVI programmes connect local knowledge to global information systems, aiming to modify development practice. They include field-based social research, support for indigenous educational institutions, in-country training courses and a digital library. Fellows of the Institute are regional academic specialists and practitioners in the fields of development, conservation, media, law and human rights.