Enumerations

Laying the Foundation of Collective Action

Enumeration is a participatory research tool designed to enable Federations to develop detailed information about their communities, which can then be used to broker deals with formal institutions. Although there are no hard and fast rules, enumeration exercises tend to take the following form:

1. Building a Team: A local enumeration team is selected. This team is comprised of Federation leaders, members of the community, local authorities, academics, support professionals and members of the SDI network.

2. Rough Mapping: The enumeration team meets with local community leaders and city officials to "rough map" the settlement, identifying toilets, water taps, public services, and transport systems. This exercise provides a general sense of issues to be addressed by the enumeration process, and informs the preparation of a questionnaire.

3. Training: Community members build their skills and capacity to complete the survey form by conducting a trial-run in a sample section of the settlement.

4. Launch: The enumeration exercise is launched at a public ceremony. Ministers, mayors and local leaders are often in attendance to add political credibility.

5. Cadastral Survey: Armed with questionnaires, chalk, booklets and tape measures, enumerators create a qualitative and quantitative map of their settlement. Their work is twofold: (1) to survey each household, and (2) to number and measure every structure. This information-gathering underpins the development a physical and narrative picture of community-level challenges.

6. Household Survey: The completed survey forms are conveyed to a central point for verification - staff members begin to assess and compile the data, returning incomplete or disputed forms to be redone. This verification process enables areas of disagreement to be identified and mediated by community members. Detailed documentation (graphs, charts and narratives) is prepared by the support organization and given to the community, city officials and other stakeholders. This data is then used by the settlement in future negotiations for resources.

8. Women's Participation: While Federation members are enumerating, they are also mobilizing women into savings and credit schemes. With support of the Federation, these new groups develop the tools necessary to advocate for State services, redesign their homes and settlements, and manage their settlement upgrading or relocation process. While men are not excluded, women are the always primary drivers of development and thus are encouraged lead.