Who We Are

International Development Missions (IDM) Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that enhances the health and quality of the life of people in developing countries. IDM develops sustainable projects via grass-roots contributions from the Reno/Sparks and Northern Nevada communities to promote health and education in rural Kenya and other areas of need internationally. 

IDM's Origins

The  faith-based non-profit was founded in 2001 by a small group of Northern Nevada individuals interested in providing sustainable community assistance with financial funding and professional expertise.  IDM first operated as an outreach ministry of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sparks, Nevada. After receiving support from the Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, IDM grew in experience and was then able to incorporate in Nevada and become a federally recognized non-profit in 2002.  IDM has pursued its mission by funding and building a medical clinic, planning and building multiple clean water projects, and promoting education through the construction of a community library and learning center.  IDM believes in the concept of partnership and actively maintains long-term relationships with the people served by IDM projects.  Numerous volunteers from Northern Nevada have accompanied IDM board members on trips to help meet IDM’s mission.  Other Northern Nevada faith communities, such as Grace Community Church, Reno, have provided financial support for IDM projects.  In addition, IDM has partnered with student groups from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) to help conceptualize and complete projects in rural Kenya and provide hands-on learning for UNR students majoring in fields such as hydrology, community health, engineering and environmental science.

Why Mua Hills, Kenya?

The Mua Hills area contains many small, subsistence-level farms on semi-fertile, rugged land.  Prior to the construction of the medical clinic, the community lacked a medical care facility and residents had to travel long distances to receive care.  Muthoka Mutua, a founding member of IDM and past chair of the organization, is a native son of the Machakos District, the wider region in which Mua Hills is located.  He migrated to the United States and lived and worked in the Reno area for over 40 years where he spent much of his career as the Director of Labs at St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno.  Knowing personally about the need for health care access in his childhood home, he long hoped to create a non-profit that could assist in providing a medical care facility. He was joined in that vision by the late Ron Peterson, a hydro-geophysicist with substantial experience in developing clean water resources throughout Africa. Their passion to “give back” provided the impetus for the development of IDM.  Over its years of operation, IDM has also benefited from the generous assistance of many volunteers with diverse skills.

Health Care

The Mua Hills Medical Clinic opened in 2004 and served as the primary health care facility for residents living in the Mua Hills for over 15 years.  The clinic provided access to health education and other services such as vaccinations through periodic traveling health clinics.  The clinic also provided laboratory diagnostic services and was designated as an AIDS treatment facility by the Kenyan Ministry of Health. Unfortunately, during the COVID pandemic clinic operations ceased.

Clean Water Projects

One hears the truism “Water is Life” in many parts of the developing world.  Lack of access to clean water is responsible for multiple health issues and limits a community’s potential for growth and prosperity.  IDM has completed multiple low-cost projects to provide clean water access including rain-water catchment units and hand developed well construction.

Education Abroad

IDM has helped promote education directly to the Mua Hills community and areas in Kenya through construction of the Mua Hills Learning Center and donations of educational supplies to numerous primary and secondary schools in Kenya. IDM collected and shipped a storage container with a wide array of learning material to Kenya to distribute to under-resourced schools and centers in Kenya.  These resources, donated by Northern Nevada residents, will enhance and serve a variety of primary and secondary school students in Kenya.

Education at Home

IDM has partnered with student groups and instructors at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) to provide hands-on learning projects for undergraduate and graduate students.  IDM has sponsored several student projects in Kenya and has worked with undergraduate students who are interested in public health to provide semester-long internships benefiting Kenyan communities. In 2019, IDM funded a scholarship endowment at UNR intended to help students who demonstrate interest in enhancing the health and quality of life of people in low to middle income countries. Since 2019, the IDM Endowment Award has been awarded to one student each year.

Most recently, during the 2025 Donate It Forward Book Drive, donors helped provide new conservation oriented books to multiple organizations in northern Nevada including elementary schools, libraries, daycare centers, and Northern Nevada non-profits supporting literacy.