Updates Available by E-Mail on request
ACHR E-News: news briefs come from contacts
and related groups concerned with community based urban poor issues and actions
in Asia.
News of professional, academic, NGO,
grassroots activities and ideas are welcome
1. SLUM DWELLERS WINNERS OF WORLD HABITAT DAY
AWARD
Jockin and the National Slum Dwellers Federation were the recipients of one
of only 9 World HABITAT Day Awards presented by the by the United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements to organizations or individuals for their outstanding
contributions to human settlements development. This year the theme for World
Habitat Day was "Cities for All".
Congratulations are in order, to Jockin and the great team at NSDF, to Sheela
and Celine and the team at SPARC and of course Mahila Milan.
Contact: sparc1@vsnl.com
2. DIARY OF MORE WINNERS: NAKON SAWAN CITY -
THAILAND
Jan 99: Eighteen Urban poor community Savings Groups work up a one year
plan to help ease the threat of evictions. First step: a community survey to
acquire necessary information and catalyse actions from 47 scattered poor
communities. The strategy includes involving the Mayor and the National Housing
Authority with support from Thailand's Urban Community Development Office. A
Network of mainly women's groups becomes active in 20 of the slums surveyed.
Aug 99: A workshop is organised to present the results of the survey
to all communities and other key city actors and involve them with the
communities in planning of the next stage. The 2 tier plan involves developing
the sites of communities who can remain where they are and secondly finding land
and development support for those required to move.
Sept - Oct 99: By this time the Mayor has become involved and with the
community finds potentially suitable public land within the city itself. The
community network makes plans to consolidate the potential victory with plans
for a large meeting on World Habitat Day. Daily savings has begun in many
communities. Smaller community meetings are held to plan site designs (houses,
markets, schools, old people's centre - city within a city for 1000 families) ,
house models, photo displays, maps to seal the partnership.
Dec 99: 32 hectares of land has been initially approved for the new
"people's planned town" in the city of Nakon Sawan.
This is hopefully a pilot project for further city wide planning for slum
planning in Thailand's secondary cities. The elements identified for its
success: medium size population of around 100,000 ; many squatters 30% of the
towns population; many land use problems; strong women's led community process;
strong savings schemes; cooperative mayor and government officials who realise
partnerships are necessary to solve problems "on scale"; a good social
development officer to facilitate. More information: contact ACHR Sec at achrsec@email.ksc.net
3. NEWS BRIEFS FROM ACHR
PROGRAMMES
a. ACHR has been gathering State Of Urban Poor City Reports from
country focal points and members in Asia. Once all are received we will
summarise them into a common format for distribution to those interested.
Summaries will also be posted on the ACHR Internet sight.
b. Integrated Exchanges: two integrated teams of government, NGO and
community representatives participated in exposure study exchanges to Sri Lanka
(October) and Pakistan (November). Both groups spent time in Thailand on the
way. The groups were hosted by SEVANATHA in Sri Lanka and the Orangi Pilot
Project in Pakistan and the UCDO in Thailand. Both exchanges were part of an
ACHR process with the UNCHS urban poor project in Phnom Penh. Contact ACHR Sec
achrsec@email.ksc.net
c. Habitat International Coalition: The new HIC secretariat in Cape
Town South Africa hosted the annual Habitat International Coalition board
meeting in Nov 21 -24th. Efforts by the Secretariat to broaden to
coalition base with extra focus on grassroots participation in the coalition
were welcomed. Contact: Hic Sec Eldridge Jerry at hic@mweb.co.za
HIC President Kirtee Shah at: asag@ad1.vsnl.net.in
d. A Young Professionals workshop was held in Phnom Penh Cambodia last
October. Organised by YP's at Phnom Penh's URC in association with ACHR Young
Professionals and the University of Phnom Penh. The YP programme aims to
influence decision-makers of the future by providing various opportunities for
graduates to work with urban poor communities. In January 2000 Phnom Penh YP's
will host 25 international students from Oxford Brookes (UK) and MIT (USA). The
two week programme will include practicums with Phnom Penh's urban poor
communities. Young Professionals from 4 countries in Asia will also join the
workshop.
Contact: URC Phnom Penh urcpp@forum.org.kh
For details of YP programmes throughout Asia contact ACHR Sec. at achrsec@email.ksc.net
e. Low Cost Housing Construction Workshop: Selections of the most useful
information emerging from last years ACHR-TAP workshop, including presentations
by groups from many countries in Asia, has been published by Bimbo Fernandes
from Cebu, Philippines. The original workshop document (over 100 pages of
diagrams and written information) organised and edited by Wee Aik Pang and Wuria
Karadaghy will be made available on CD Rom. Contact Bimbo at lihok@cnms.net
for the summary document and ACHR Sec for the CD at achrsec@email.ksc.net
Wuria Karadaghy now
working in Bosnia
f. The first of ACHR's Training and Advisory Programme III Regional
Issue Based Workshops proposed for early 2000 will be an examination of issues
concerning the need for and implementation of an Urban Poor Regional Fund.
Contact M. Hosaka, Japan hosaka@mihama.n-fukushi.ac.jp
g. Slum / Shack Dwellers International members in Nepal and Durban
organised Housing Exhibitions in Kathmandu and Durban during Oct and Nov. The
events attracted thousands of savings members, plus politicians and SDI members
from other countries. The exhibitions coincided with the Commonwealth Heads of
States meeting in Durban and the CITYNET meeting in Kathmandu.
More information:
contact ACHR at achrsec@email.ksc.net
SDI at joelb@dialogue.org.za
Lumanti , Nepal at shelter@lumanti.wlink.com.np
4. BOTTOM - UP COMMUNICATIONS
There's an abundance of communications in development these days - most is top
down and in English. We're trying to redress the balance by supporting bottom up
information and efficient translation processes. A mixed bag of briefs follow:
a.. Thailand's Urban Community Development Office has produced a video
on Communities as the Key Actors in Environmental Development which explains
a new mechanism which has brought significant changes to the way in which
municipalities, NGO's and CBO's work together for community improvements.
Available upon request from ACHR (Thai or English Soundtrack). achrsec@email.ksc.net
b. Habitat International Coalition latest newsletter is now
available. In Asia contact ACHR others: the HIC Sec in Cape Town at hic@mweb.co.za
c. SELAVIP Journal of Low Income Housing in Asia and the World -
October 1999 is now available. Over 150 pages of news. Available from ACHR or
Pagtambayayong Foundation at pagtamba@durian.usc.edu.ph
d. Community News Magazine No. 3 is the third of the video series focusing
on Thai urban poor community issues, activities and processes. Divided
into 5 to 10 minute segments this volume contains stories on: Networking in
Chiangmai; the Songkhla Savings Group Network; Income Generation and Community
Enterprise projects; Communities Living under Bangkok Bridges; and implications
of the New Thai Constitution. Available in Thai or English from ACHR.
e. Pakistan Cancellation of ADB Loan: After a struggle of more than 2
years, Karachi NGOs, concerned professionals and community organisations
have managed to get an ADB loan of US$ 100 million cancelled and have got a
grandoise project replaced by a modest one. Much of the success of the struggle
is owed to Karachi's Urban Resource Centre. Through it's collection of
information, research and monthly urban forums on city-wide issues the URC has
been able to bring together concerned interest groups to discuss and pressure for
changes in city plans affecting thousands of people. URC's links with the Orangi
Pilot Project Research and Training Institute and Darwood College have also
enabled it collaborate and submit to city authorities meticulous alternative
proposals to major city developments. The process involved in the struggle to
cancel the ABD loan will be documented by the URC with support from ACHR so that
the region can learn from the experience. Contact URC Karachi at urc@inet.com.pk
f. A Web Site for Ideas, linkages and dialogue on communication,
development and change. is at http//www.comminit.com
Also for a bulletin of brief news and links on the same subject subscribe to
The Drum Beat Communication and Change News and Issues
Both are from the email and web network of the Communication Initiative
partnership - The Rockefeller Foundation, UNICEF, USAID, CHANGE, WHO, BBC World
Service, CIDA, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, The
European Union, Soul City, The Panos Institute, UNAIDS
Information Director Warren Feek wfeek@coastnet.com
g. Communications and Developmental Practical Guide Adam Burke / DFID,
1999. A manual on working with communication media in development projects
choosing, using and evaluating available at Web Site: http//nt1.ids.ac.uk/eldis/comdev.htm
5. CAMBODIA URBAN POOR UPDATE: 1999
ACHR and friends saw new developments in Cambodia this year, particularly
important milestones were the development and strengthening of two now
institutionalised urban poor community partnerships with the Municipality of
Phnom Penh.
a. The first partnership between the Municipality, ACHR and
SUPF ( people's federation) is the Urban Poor Development Fund UPDF - to provide
housing loans to the urban poor. The pilot project involving resettlement and
housing loans to 120 families has succeed with a greater than 90% repayment rate
on $400 housing loans for each of the 120 families. In Dec. loans will be issued
to a second group of families undergoing relocation (Toul Sambol). This will be
quickly followed by loans to the Tek La-Ok community relocation project.
In January 2000 we will finalise plans for the management of the UPDF's next
stage. It is likely that loan management processes will be developed with the
Community Management Development Committees (see below) and loans may be
broadened beyond housing loans to other collaborative community development
processes.
b. The second partnership takes the form of the Community
Development Management Committees: comprising District level collaborations of
community and Khan (local govt) rep.s, NGO, and others aimed at planning and
implementing community improvement projects in each of Phnom Penh 7 (Khan)
districts.
Much of the strength and understanding of the benefits of such collaboration
has come from the participation of each of the actors coming together for a
significant number of regional exchanges conducted by ACHR this year. Similar
collaborations have been occurred within the region and this year a total of 88
people from Cambodia have been able to "see" such collaborations
during 9 exchanges to either Thailand, India, Nepal, South Africa, Pakistan or
Sri Lanka.
c. The City-wide urban poor survey by communities was mentioned in the
last E-News. This may be an historic first time that all urban poor settlements
of a city have been surveyed by the people themselves. The survey has revealed
Phnom Penh has around 427 scattered poor communities. SUPF (Federation) have
established organisations in 207 and has organised Savings groups on a district
level basis. The survey has catalysed thousands of new savings members. Results
are being tabulated and are expected to be completed by December. The completion
of the survey will be followed by a report and a large seminar attended by all
urban actors where the situation of the Phnom Penh's urban poor will be reviewed
and development actions planned. The seminar is planned for April 1999.
Contacts: Urban Resource Centre Phnom Penh urcpp@forum.org.kh
Urban Poor Development Fund updf@forum.org.kh
ACHR achrsec@email.ksc.net
6. PAKISTAN: DEATH OF DR AKHTAR HAMEED KHAN
"Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, father of the Comilla Cooperatives and the
Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), both internationally renowned development models,
died in the United States on October 08, 1999.
To carry on his life's work and to further develop it, he has left behind
three remarkable institutions in Orangi. These are the OPP-Research and Training
Institute (RTI), Karachi Health and Social Development Association (KHASDA) and
the Orangi Charitable Trust (OCT). These institutions have, under his guidance,
developed sanitation, health, education and income generating models for low
income settlements. These models support local initiatives, use local resources
and build on the capacity and capability of poor communities to look after
themselves and to strike a more equitable relationship with government
development agencies and with society as a whole. And development after all, is
all about striking equitable relationships. These models do not require large
funds, foreign or local, or expensive imported expertise and are totally
indigenous. They are being replicated in numerous settlements in Pakistan, both
in Karachi and other urban centres, and their principles are being applied to
development programmes in South Africa, Central Asia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
India.
The OPP-RTI receives training groups not only from these countries, but also
from the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan and the First World. Academic
institutions dealing in development, planning and economics, the world over,
study these models and international agencies and NGOs try to adapt them to
their needs. More recently there is considerable pressure from communities and
professionals, supported by concerned bureaucrats, to bring about policy changes
that would adopt the principles and models of the OPP. "
Extracted from a letter from Arif Hasan who writes more on Dr Khan's work,
ideas and personal attributes in a 4 page eulogy. Available on request from
ACHR.
Also available from ACHR is Dr Khan's biography "Akhtar Hameed Khan.
Orangi Pilot Project, Reminiscences and Reflections" ( 153 pages) and a
smaller (60 pages) booklet entitled Akhtar Hammeed Khan & the OPP by Arif
Hasan.
Dr Khan will be truly missed by all in ACHR and others internationally.
Arif Hasan has said: (Although Dr Khan lived and died in the 20th
Century) "... the twenty first century is what Akhtar Hameed Khan and his
life's work is all about. "
7. SRI LANKA: GOVT SERVICES TO BE HANDED OVER TO
COMMUNITIES
SEVANATHA (NGO) is now working very closely with Colombo Municipal Council on
the strengthening of Community Development Councils (consisting of
representatives from urban community organisations - the councils in the past
have identified community needs and helped plan and implement improvement
projects). The individual CDC's in Colombo have agreed to form a Federation to
build their own citywide institutional set up in order to make their
representation more organized and forceful.
The First CDC Federation entitled 'Community Development and Management Forum
-CDMF - was formed with the participation of the Colombo Mayor and all key
officials in the Municipality. And the Municipality now recognizes the CDMF as a
local level development institution.
Community CDMF representatives have already become members of public health
and community development standing committees of the council.
Now the Municipality, with technical support from SEVANATHA, has appointed a
committee to revise its administrative and financial procedures in order to hand
over a number of municipal service delivery functions to Community Development
Councils. Contact SEVANATHA at sevanata@sri.lanka.net
8. TIBET HERITAGE LEARNING FROM NEPAL
Regional and international Exchange visits between communities and
development activists can open up minds to a rich diversity of urban poor and
cultural heritage experiences. "Seeing is Believing" and communities
have a much better record of implementing their learning far more quickly than
the professionals whose usual function is to file an unread report or integrate
learnings into analysis of papers and documents which may not see the light of
day for years.
The Tibet Heritage Fund is involved in restoration of the few
remaining traditional houses in Lhasa. It hopes, with the cooperation of city
officials, to restore approximately 180 houses and also enable the urban poor
Tibetans who live in them to remain in the more livable dwellings. At the same
time THF employs traditional labour and keeps age old painting, decorating and
building skills alive. So there was much to learn when THF organised a study
trip to neighbouring Nepal and to the historic cities of Patan, Baktapur and
Kathmandu in November. As Pimpim from THF says of the trip "We will see ...
when the fruits and flowers will blossom."
Contact THF at thf@public.ls.xz.cn
9
STRATEGIES:
PEOPLE TO PEOPLE EXCHANGES - Video from SPARC
People to People Exchanges produce impacts way beyond the immediate learnings
and sharings between communities. "With community to community exchanges
people are not being put into situations where their dependence on external
agents is being reinforced. In fact, these exchanges become liberating
experiences because people in very similar context to themselves are showing
them answers, rather than having answers shown to them by professionals." A
new video produced by SPARC entitled "Skoteni ....Moving Around"
examines some of the benefits resulting from their decade long experience of
community to community exchanges within India through Mahila Milan and the
National Slum Dwellers Federation, in Asia through ACHR - TAP and
internationally through Slum Dwellers International. Video available from ACHR
or SPARC at sparc1@vsnl.com
A 32 page tabloid style magazine "Face To Face" documenting
experiences and history of community to community exchanges over the past 10
years will be published by ACHR in early 2000 - with support from PILOTLIGHT
(UK). Editor Tom Kerr has collected information, stories and analysis from Asia
and Africa as well as some "northern" experiences. If you have
community to community exchange stories send them to Tom at ACHR in Bangkok: achrsec@email.ksc.net
If you wish to be on our Newsletter mailing list send address details to achrsec@email.ksc.net
10 Some quotes
From Akhtar Hameed Khan:
"Train communities to write proposals and you teach them to be
beggars".
On the Orangi Pilot Project: "We began with the assumption that people are
not foolish but great masters of the art of survival and that they are trying
hard to improve. They are not getting much help or support. On the contrary they
are at times harassed. There is a need for social guidance, technical guidance
and economic support not grants or subsidised credit."
For the ASIAN WOMEN AND SHELTER NETWORK
Leonard Cohen: There is a War:
"There's a war between the rich and the poor, a war between the man and the
woman. There's a war between the one's who say "there is a war" and
the one's who say "there isn't"
"I live here with a woman and a child, the situation makes me nervous.
I rise up from her arms, she says " I guess you call this love, I call it
room service"
Contributions are encouraged to make the news as
interactive as possible.
News or comments (brief 150 - 200 words) for the
next bulletin can be sent to achrsec@email.ksc.net
. Feel free to distribute the news to relevant groups and let us know e-mail
addresses of any contacts who express interest in receiving it.
For More Information Contact:
ACHR Sec Bangkok Thailand
Tel: 66 2 538 0919
FAX: 66 2 539 9950
Internet: achrsec@email.ksc.net
