DSO: A Global Development Student Startup in Qatar

DSO is a student startup founded at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh. Its mission is to increase engagement in global development by teaming up students with professors, non-governmental organizations, and corporations. In fall 2009, I co-founded a chapter of DSO at the CMU Qatar Campus. We recruited passionate students, crafted our vision and kicked off various projects.

In January 2010, a deadly earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti and thousands were feared dead. In response, we planned, evangelized and executed a 2-week fundraising campaign to raise 20,556 Qatari Riyals (QAR). This was no simple logistical undertaking. We organized 60 students across 6 universities, pulled in 5 student organizations and got the Qatar Red Crescent and Bloomsbury Publishing involved. While our team focused on execution, I focused on removing obstacles and securing resources.

While our project-based model suited CMU Pittsburgh, it did not scale well in Qatar where students wanted to get a more immediate sense of making an impact. The feeling of making progress was the biggest motivator for student organizations here. We adapted our model to focus solely on events: one major attraction per semester accompanied by several smaller ones.

In establishing DSO Qatar, I saw how important it was to focus on something and do it really well. Deciding what not to do is just as important as deciding what to do. I am proud of the challenges we overcame and the culture we built. In only our second semester, we received an award for being the “most organized” student organization.

Pro tip: giving away free donuts and asking people to donate “as they please” will get you more money than selling donuts for QAR 10. 

SCOPE

Establish a branch of Pittsburgh-based student startup, DSO, at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and figure out a model to involve students in global development

PERSONAL IMPACT

Strategy & vision, recruiting, leadership & team building, logistics, "getting things done"

organization

DSO (Development Solutions Organization)

TEAM

Hammad Abbasi, Varun Arora, Shaza Daifalla, Aliah Dehdari, Afnan Fahim, Zaid Haque, Nijat Ibrahimov, Ayah Jarbou, Batoul Khalife, Waleed Khan, Susan Lin, Amal Osman, Saurabh Sanghvi, Edwin Shao, Jevika Shetty, Abid Shirzai

TEAM DISCIPLINE

Business Administration, Computer Science, Information Systems

LOCATION

Doha, Qatar

DURATION

March 2009-March 2010

Deliverables

Fundraising event for Haiti earthquake, VOIP technology project for migrant workers, 4+ global development events

tools used

Google Docs, Microsoft Office

TYPE

Global Development Startup