Development Catalyst International (DCI) formerly known as “Change Thru Empowerment” is an international development company with corporate office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1989 by a group of progressive women in a local community of Quetta, Pakistan and was formally registered in 1991 as a Community Based Organization (CBO) by the name of “Tanzeem-e-Khawateen Idara-e-Bahali-e-Mustehqeen”. The organization operated in a small industrial home for women and girls in the community on self-help and volunteer basis until 1995. This industrial home acted as a hub of community mobilization, awareness raising and advocacy focused activities for women and girls at a grassroot level. Due to financial constraints and no financial assistance from the Social Welfare Department, Government of Pakistan, the industrial home get closed but then the organization got linked with various national level organizations working for human rights, women rights, activism and social movements of volunteer masses. However; the organization remained restricted to community level activities for a long period of time.
In 2010, the organization was restructured and renamed as “Change Thru Empowerment” and got registered at provincial level which rapidly emerged into a national level organization, however; it restructured once again and renamed as “Development Catalyst International”, a for-profit company with leadership from various countries. DCI believes in diversity and forging partnerships to deliver sustainable and context driven solutions to international challenges, and this believe become certain when we come across by an African proverb.
“If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together”
DCI offers consulting services for public sector clients (development partners and donors), with a focus on the transition and developing countries. Our approach to development activities is based on the decades of community based work experience coupled with applied research and established best practices which resulted in positive outcomes for the communities. Our leadership is comprised of four partners with diverse technical and geographic experience which further empowered the organizational experience in the fields of education, research, assessment, monitoring & evaluation, electoral reforms, governance, economic growth, youth, humanitarian assistance, ICT for development, financial management and capacity development.
DCI’s 32 years of standalone experience coupled with decades of leadership’s experience in the volatile operating environments has resulted in a deep knowledge of context-specific structures and processes that reinforce effective project management, staff empowerment, and partners collaboration and capacity building.