About
A non-profit agency run by the people of Dhinowda District, Mudug Region, Puntland.
Started by people who live with the sand
Dhinowda sits between the dunes and the Indian Ocean. Every year the wind pushes sand over farmland, wells, roads and homes. Families lose land they have used for generations, and some move away.
DDA was formed to answer this. Elders, teachers, fishermen, farmers and young people came together, put the problems in order of size, and began with what the district already had: hands, palm fronds, seeds and knowledge of the wind.
Today DDA runs five programme areas and keeps one written plan for the whole district, so partners and government can see what is needed and what has already been done.
Dhinowda from the air — the town sits on open sand Name: Dhinowda Development Agency (DDA)
Based in: Dhinowda District, Mudug, Puntland
Type: Non-profit, community based
Website: dda.so
Five rules we keep
The village decides first
No project starts before the people who live there agree on it and take a part of the work.
Local hands, local materials
We buy and hire inside the district whenever we can, so the money stays in Dhinowda.
Women and youth in the front
Nurseries, awareness teams and small business groups are led by women and young people.
Open books
Every donation has a purpose written next to it, and every project is reported back to the district.
Work that lasts
Fences, trees and boats need care. We train a local group to look after each one before we hand it over.
We count what we do
Metres of fence, trees still alive, families reached. Numbers go into every report.
Dhinowda District
Dhinowda is a coastal district in Mudug Region, Puntland. It has fishing villages on the ocean side, grazing land inland, and a belt of moving dunes in between.
That mix is why our work has two sides: hold the sand back on land, and open the sea as a way for families to earn.
Read the development plan-
Step 1
The district meets
Elders, women's groups and youth list the problems and put them in order.
-
Step 2
DDA is formed
A board of trustees is chosen and the agency is registered.
-
Step 3
First fence lines
Work starts where the dunes are closest to homes and the main road.
-
Step 4
The Dhinowda Development Plan
All five programme areas are written into one plan with costs and owners.
Meet the people behind DDA
The board of trustees guides the agency and answers to the district.