Launch of 2011 UPFI Annual Report
SDI is happy to announce the launch of the 2011 UPFI Annual Report, marking an important point in the growth of SDI and UPFI. The Urban Poor Fund International is a SDI subsidiary that provides capital to member national urban poor funds affiliated to SDI. They in turn provide capital to savings federations undertaking important urban improvement and housing projects. Read More
Densification of Harare's Dzivarasekwa Extension
In January, an architecht from SDI worked with the Zimbabwe Federation & support NGO on a slum upgrading project developing affordable housing models that sustainably increase density & status-quo. This report provides insight into the techincal & social processes involved in such a project, as well as a vision of the road that lies ahead for the project's completion. Read More
Unabated Forced Evictions in Nairobi's Informal Settlements
Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the Kenyan slum dweller federation, expresses grave concern regarding ongoing forced evictions in Nairobi’s informal settlements. The latest settlement to be demolished is Mukuru Kwa Njenga’s Wape Wape village where three people lost their lives as they scampered to safety. There are more humane ways of addressing slum issues, and forced evictions has never made the cut. Read More
A Tale of Two Slums
Over the next four weeks, we will feature a discussion on four components that SDI and its contemporary, the Orangi Pilot Project, have designed differently, with varying degrees of success. At the heart of both is the philosophy that organized communities are vital in any process that aims to improve living conditions for the urban poor. Read More
In Focus: Exclusion & Informality
We talk a lot about exclusion & inclusion. We talk about slums & urban poverty, about living in a one-room shack with your entire extended family without water or electricity or a toilet. We talk about these things, but do we ever see them? It is only then that we feel the gravity of our urban situation, and of finding a solution. ... Read More
Talkative Mama
This post is the first in a series of blogs on the individuals who make up the over 1.2 million slum dwellers that comprise the SDI movement. The series will explore the tales of individual transformation that are woven amongst the story of the evolution of the movement at large. Read More
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ZimbabaweLatest Blog Posts
The Art of Ark Building in Langrug, South Africa
Premier of the Western Cape, Ms. Helen Zille, visited Langrug settlement to witness the progress made by the local community in partnership with Stellenbosch Municipality. ISN was introduced to Langrug after the municipality engaged the network, opening a year-long relationship-building window. Ever since, a full scale in-situ upgrade project has been launched, providing better service with minimal disruption to residents’ lives.
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Community Policing in Slum Settlements
As with many projects in the SDI network, the Tanzanian federation’s community policing project was in large part inspired by the experience of slum dwellers during a peer-to-peer exchange. The exchange that catalyzed the Tanzanian community policing project involved members from the Tanzanian Urban Poor Federation visiting the Indian federation in Mumbai.
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The Practicalities of a Social Movement | Kambi Moto, Kenya
Theoretical analysis of community-driven development initiatives often overlooks the day-to-day processes of infrastructure developments. Over the coming weeks we will hear SDI federation members describing the trials & achievements of managing their own infrastructure projects, providing insight into the practicalities of the process & illustrating experiences that resonate across the SDI network.
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A New Way for Kampala's KCCA?
The National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda responds to a spate of forced evictions in Kampala, stating categorically: there is another way. Throughout the SDI network, community-based organizations of the urban poor are involved in processes to ensure that those affected by evictions understand the process, that resettlement options are presented, and that, where appropriate, adequate compensation is granted.
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Tanzanian Federation Builds Community-Based Public Toilet
This is the story of a public toilet built and managed by a slum dweller community in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and the socially embedded community processes that allowed for successful construction and will ensure its sustainability. These processes, cemented around female-led savings group, are the backbone of the SDI network and create community “layers” that support infrastructure investments.
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Slum Dwellers, Academics & City Officials Dialogue in Harare
A forum of African city governments and slumdwellers will organize the third SDI dialogue on citywide slum upgrading later in 2012. This key agreement was arrived at at the second dialogue held in March in Harare, Zimbabwe. The agreement represents a deepening of relationships, not only between SDI federations and their local authorities, but also between cities around approaches to slum upgrading.
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Settlements Under Siege
Muungano wa Wanavijiji, the Kenyan slum dweller federation, expresses grave concern regarding ongoing forced evictions in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Three people lost their lives in the recent demolition of Mukuru Kwa Njenga’s Wape Wape village and there are plans to demolish homes located near power lines in a number of communities. This comes not long after violent demolitions in Kiang'ombe and Mitumba settlements. Despite claims to the contrary, these forced evictions are motivated by complex political and private sector forces. But there are more humane ways of addressing slum issues, and forced evictions has never made the cut. This post explores how a community-driven process can address these issues, without resorting to brutality and violence.
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Spotlight on Slum Upgrading
In Tanzania, federation members have become toilet 'fundis'. Through the rituals of daily savings, women have been able to access financing to build, manage and maintain community toilets in informal settlements in Dar es Salaam. Technologies appropriate to the conditions of the settlement were selected & community members assisted with contruction. Such efforts exemplify the transformative ability of a community-led process that gains traction precisely because it is anchored within a local socioeconomic context & not externally determined.
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Spotlight on Community Planning
The South African SDI alliance are working with government to assess the needs of residents in informal settlements in Cape Town. Despite efforts, city government alone has not been able to get a genuine depth of information. This is where the SDI ritual of self-enumeration demonstrates the advantages of involving community members in the planning, development & needs identification processes. As a mobilizing tool, enumerations are unparalleled in garnering support & building enthusiasm as the settlement prepares for upgrading. ...
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