Welcome to Social Development Direct


Social Development Direct is a leading international provider of social development consultancy and research services. SDDirect is based in London and was established in 1999 as a small network of leading independent consultants and researchers committed to working with government and non-governmental organisations to improve the quality and impact of development assistance. We are committed to the eradication of poverty, global inequality and injustice and work with development partners in the north and south to this end. SDDirect is now an international network of over 200 professionals with expertise in social development, gender, human rights, political science, conflict and peace building, and governance with an in-house team of 10 social development specialists.


Country snapshots >> Snapshot from Pakistan

Seema Khan was in Islamabad recently to support the work of the bilaterally-funded Maternal and Newborn Health Research and Advocacy Fund amidst the ongoing and very real threat of violence in the country. She reports on the differences in healthcare provision in urban and rural areas and how the fund seeks to address the broader, social, cultural and political factors which affect the health of mothers and newborns.

At the cutting edge >> Launch of our Security Sector Knowledge Module

Social Development Direct is delighted to announce the launch of its security sector module which can be found on the UN Women Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence Against Women and Girls website. The module provides step-by-step guidance on how to design, implement, monitor and evaluate initiatives that work with the police and military to respond to violence against women and girls.

Consultant profile >> Claudia Lo Forte

Claudia is a consultant with SDDirect with expertise in child protection and children’s rights, gender and women’s rights, protection, rule of law and access to justice and advocacy. She has worked in development and humanitarian settings, specifically in Syria, the occupied Palestinian territory and Eastern Chad.