DUGSI was founded by Somalia professionals living in the country and those in the diaspora to respond to the humanitarian crisis that has been occasioned by the country’s long running conflicts since 1991 that saw breakdown and destruction of infrastructure, economic livelihoods, economy, government, civilian facilities, human displacement, and loss of lives. The founders, as home-grown people and Somali professionals living in the country, felt that they could access the grassroots establish links, and facilitate service delivery between the suffering of desperate local communities and the international organizations and donors that are willing to assist the Somali community. DUGSI also envisions reaching out to the Somali diaspora and charities willing to donate towards this course. DUGSI will closely work with the local communities, local authorities and regional administrations, and civil society organizations and in partnerships with UN and international organizations, to realize its mission of restoring hope, overcoming poverty, and illiteracy, and supporting maternal care where no facilities exist.

The organization’s development approach is based on equal participation, inclusivity, empowerment, local capacity building/training, gender equality, advocacy, sustainability, and accountability. DUGSI considers the development of strong linkages with the community as a priority in the attainment of its programmatic and organizational goals and as a result, it has established strong linkages with other organized grassroots social groups. DUGSI believes that modest resources can significantly improve, and better citizen’s lives if financial resources are strategically invested in support of community-led strategies, designs, and budgets as well as ensure that the communities have access to adequate basic services. 

DUGSI actively responds to emergencies and post emergencies including those resulting from prolonged insecurity, droughts, and recurrent famine by taking up the effective lead in the provision of basic humanitarian assistance services, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, human rights advocacy, health and livelihoods, capacity building training, needs assessments, development research, and other consultancy services among other socio-economic development activities. 

DUGSI has a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and associates including sociologists, economists and trade experts, education experts, scientists, health experts, public finance specialists, disaster/emergency management specialists, and M&E Experts. This team can provide a wide range of project management, training, and capacity development as well as a range of M&E services.

DUGSI’s strength lies in its ability to combine consultative and participatory approaches with sound techniques to identify and assess issues of critical relevance and for optimizing performance and long-term capacity building. 

DUGSI is willing to closely work with the UN, INGOs, the governments, the community, and other development partners at all stages of the project lifecycle, adding value through its in-depth understanding of cross-cultural relationships and its firm grasp of sustainable development concepts. These capabilities are further enriched by DUGSI’s in-house capabilities and extensive network of associates, technical specialists, and strategic partners.