King International Development Association (KIDA)

The King International Development Association (KIDA) is a student organization at Stanford University dedicated to fostering collaboration and community among young leaders committed to addressing international development challenges and engaging in community service. Affiliated with the Stanford King Center on Global Development—a Stanford research center working to improve the lives of the world’s poor—KIDA harnesses Stanford’s unique interdisciplinary resources to help undergraduates translate their interest in international development issues into informed and meaningful action.

KIDA was founded in 2018 in response to a need among the undergraduate community on campus for a unified student organization that could serve as a centralized resource, communication channel and community for students interested in service through international development action. A proudly diverse and interdisciplinary community, all KIDA members are united by a shared passion for working in global development through student-led projects and on-campus events.

Requirement to fulfill a Cardinal Commitment: KIDA places a high priority on service and learning through action and encourages students from all disciplines to design their own projects and events, either raising awareness of an international issue or taking meaningful action to address the needs of a community, local or international. KIDA provides long-term, comprehensive support for student projects and initiatives, backed by strong connections with faculty and other organizations on-campus, as well as an interdisciplinary community of learners. Students affiliated with KIDA present their work and progress at our community meetings, and harness the KIDA community to find like-minded students eager to engage in close-knit project collaboration and service partnerships. KIDA meets weekly and runs for the entire academic year, thus providing consistent, regular support for year-long service initiatives. Students will have the opportunity to be supervised by one of the KIDA co-presidents as a mentor, or by a chosen faculty member on-campus to guide them in their work.