ABOUT US

The main philosophy behind GDCA’s work is that people are capable of leading the change that they desire for themselves. The approach of GDCA to improving lives has been to empower people to bring about the change they desire. This involves people becoming aware of their situation and realising that change is needed and then building capacities needed to bring about that change.
GDCA is an umbrella organisation for a number of NGOs working on various thematic areas.
Dalun Simli Centre (DSC), formally Dagbon Ninneesim Karimzong (DNK), is a training centre, which provides training for farmers, young girls, the youth, women groups, community leaders and development workers in areas relevant to the target groups. DSC provides training services both at the centre at Dalun in the Tolon-Kumbungu District and outreach programmes at the request of its sponsors and clients.
Simli Pong is a micro-credit scheme providing micro-credit to mostly women in the Tolon-Kumbungu, Savelugu-Nanton and Tamale Districts. Simli Pong has a client base of 15,000 and a portfolio of more than GH¢ 1m.
Simli Radio is a community radio station located at Dalun. Simli Radio provides radio broadcast services to rural communities in sustainable farming, environment, education, culture and other areas.
School for Life (SfL) is a functional literacy programme for out-of-school children 8-14 years of age in rural communities. SfL provides instructions in the learners’ first language for nine months, after which the learners are able to enrol in the formal school in upper primary. In the last ten years, SfL has provided literacy to more than 100,000 children, with more than 75% of them enrolling in formal school. For more information go to School for Life.
Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP) helps communities to explore and supply sustainable and cost effective methods of providing potable water for domestic use and production. CLIP has developed the capacity to provide hand-dug wells, which by far is the most cost-effective method of providing potable water for small communities. CLIP also supports food security initiatives by providing training and input support.
The GDCA Secretariat works with cross-cutting issues in support of specific thematic areas being undertaken by organisations under the umbrella. These include Governance, Gender and CBO Local organisation and mobilisation.