A.  Regional Workshops and Larger Events
B.  Regional Exchange and Exposure 
C.  Communication and Information 
D.  Advisory Support and New Initiatives
E.  Young Professionals Programme
F.  Advocacy at Institutional And Policy Level
G.  Urban Poor Funds
H.  ACHR Review and Planning
 I.   Evaluation and Monitoring
J.  Specific Local NGO CBO &  Partnership Processes

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A. Regional Workshops and Larger Events  

Actual Quarter: Jan – March  2001

A. 1  Continuation of Secure Tenure Launches in Asia

Discussions continued with groups in Nepal, the Philippines,  Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand on the potential for continuing or beginning Secure Tenure Campaigns in each country. 

A.2     Young Professionals Workshop with the University in Ho Chi Minh City

 (Jan 6 –19^th)  in collaboration with MIT US and Oxford Brookes UK.  The two  institutions bought 30 post graduate development students to the workshop and practicum in the communities.  ACHR YP’s coordinated this with the Facalty of Architecture at the University in HCM City. ACHR contributed support for participation of Young Professionals  working with communities in Vietnam (20 students), Cambodia 3 and Thailand 6.  MIT and Oxford – Brookes arranged other expenses.
An important impact of the process was the fact that local, regional and international students were permitted to work together in 8 different urban poor communities.  ACHR’s Patamaq Roonrakwit  reported that this was the first that this  kind of participatory workshop was allowed in Vietnam” …. and government and administrative systems in Vietnam were very cooperative

  NOTE: Brookes Wins Queen’s Anniversary Prize

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B. Regional Exchange and Exposure
    Quarter: Jan – March  2001         

B.1  Thai -  Laos Exchange
Thai staff and community leaders from CODI (Thai) continued monthly exchange visits to Laos to support the newly established savings process in Laos.  The exchanges were coordinated by the Foundation for Community Development (FCD) and Women’s Union (Laos) in collaboration with CODI (Thailand). Further funding support for the Lao process has been discussed with the FCD and MISEREOR (Germany).

B.2 Thai  - Cambodia  Exchange
Monthly training and community organising process by 2 Thai facilitators continued in Phnom Penh during this quarter. The Thais will be in Phnom Penh 10 days per month until the end of June 2001.

B.3  Solid Waste Management. Exchange visit. Sri Lanka to Philippines & Thailand

Integrated team of Municipality, community and SEVANTHA NGO staff Sri Lanka visited and exchanged ideas with similar Solid Waste Management partnership projects (community, NGO and Municipality collaborations) in both Thailand and the Philippines.
Payment was advanced for this exchange in March although dates of the actual exchange were early April.

B.4  East Asia Exchange Programme between Hong Kong, Japan and Korea:

Homeless people and representatives from support groups in Japan and Korea visited similar groups in Hong Kong. Payment was advanced for this exchange in March although dates of the actual exchange were early April.

B.5  East Asia Exchange Programme 

(Postponed this quarter) A small team from Hong Kong will visit Japan and hold “roving seminar” on international housing rights and secure tenure issues.

  B.6  A workshop to consolidate the community savings and credit activities in 5 Vietnamese cities was organised in late February  / early March 2001. ACHR helped advocate, advise and support this process. The workshop will lead to the creation of a Community Development Fund (CDF) for the 5 cities.  The key purpose of the proposed CDFs will be to provide a stimulus to the existing and new community based groups to work more closely together through the mechanism of the sharing the fund as well as managing it with the municipality to promote a more balanced partnership for future local development initiatives.  Regional input (exchange) from other groups in Asia will be supported by ACHR and local expenses supported by UNCHS Vietnam project).  A follow up workshop to consolidate the CDF will be held May 8 –10.

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C.   Communication and Information
Actual Quarter: Jan – March  2001

General:   Continued support for Web Site Development, Newsletters, Video  for training and advocacy; Translation processes, other types of documentation; Urban Resource Centre support processes. 

C.1     Newsletter Documents Brochures from Thomas Ker

C.1.1.  Completed 2 photo essays for upcoming special Shack Dwellers International edition of Environment and Urbanization, the IIED journal in UK:   One photo essay on the Solidarity and Urban Poor Federation and Urban Poor Development Fund in Phnom Penh Cambodia, and one photo essay on the Philippines Homeless People's Federation.

C.1.2. Continued work on ACHR Newsletter Housing by People in Asia No. 13

C.1.3. Attended meetings, traveled to provincial cities in Thailand and interviewed people as part of work with CODI staff to prepare the first "CODI Update", which will be published in June 2001

C.1.4 Edited several reports for ACHR Sec Gen Somsook Boonyabancha, including a piece on CODI for Sevlavip Newsletter, and a paper on "The Role of Housing Finance" requested by UNCHS to be presented as one of the Asia papers at the Habitat +5 meeting in New York

C.1.5.   Continued to work on gathering and processing information for special ACHR/Water Aid documentation project on "Community Driven Infrastructure."

C.2   Video process:  . A video technology become less expensive, we are slowly building regional capacity of selected contacts to take advantage of the video as a tool for advocacy, training and to supplement our exchange programmes. 
          C.2.1 Video of Sri Lanka exposure to Thailand – Solid Waste Management
          C.2.2 Training and advocacy videos from the ACHR Sec. Office.

C.3  Support for translation processes : Translation of ACHR magazine Face To Face – focused on Community to Community Exchanges.

C.4 Web Site development –updates on news, profiles, processes, calendar of events

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 D. Advisory Support  and New Initiatives
 Quarter: Jan – March  2001

D.1  Continued Support for ACHR’s input into collaborations with the Municipality in Phnom Penh Cambodia:

D.1.1. ACHR attendance at monthly board meetings of the Urban Poor Development Fund and subsequent training and advisory sessions the following days.

D.1.2. Training and advice in to strengthen the  Community Development Management Committees in each of the districts of Phnom Penh. 

D.1.3  Advisory support to organise a Secure Tenure campaign launch in Phnom Penh in collaboration with the government.

D.1.4  The Municipality of Phnom Penh has requested ACHR advisory services to support the expansion of the Urban Poor Development Fund (Phnom Penh) to other cities in Cambodia.  An exploratory mission and survey process began this quarter.

D.2 Continued advisory support to for Community Strengthening regional inputs to savings and federating / network processes in Nepal and Cambodia. Coordinated by Jockin Arputham and Celine D’Cruz (SPARC Alliance India)

D.3  (postponed until April) Somsook Boonyabancha travelled to India / Nepal to advise and plan future ACHR-SDI / UNCHS Secure Tenure Launches in Nepal and other Asian cities. A mechanism was set up to coordinate the new support given for this programme by CITY ALLIANCE.

D.4  A specialist on community participation in infrastructure processes worked Thai with community groups advising on low cost alternatives in sewerage, drainage, housing and community improvements. Mr Khatri is from the Orangi Pilot Project Pakistan.

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E. Young Professionals -  Internships, Course, Outreach 
   Quarter: Jan – March  2001

  E.1  Young Professionals in Thailand   

6.1.1.Continued support for Thai YP’s working with canal communities in Bangkok.

6.1.2 Support for YP’s in other cities in Thailand previously given by ACHR YPP . This quarter support the Thai YP’s was transferred from ACHR to CODI (Thailand) 

E.2  (Postponed for this quarter) Support for Young Professionals  exploratory visit to Da Nang, Vietnam to initiate a YP Vietnam project beginning with an assessment of alternative plans for urban poor housing in Da Nang – where a large expressway project is causing the relocation of thousands of urban poor families.  The follow up to this is (potentially ) a the development of a Young Professionals support group to communities in Vietnam.

E.3  Thai YP  Patama Roonrawit  was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth.  Patama was instrumental in organising workshops, practicum’s and field work in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam for Oxford Brookes MSc Development courses. Oxford Brookes was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize.

E.4 Preparatory discussions were held on a Young Professionals course at Dawood College Karachi Pakistan being organised by Arif Hasan

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F. Advocacy at Institutional and Policy Level
Quarter: Jan – March 

F.1 AHCR Sec General  Somsook Boonyabancha was accepted to the Advisory Board of the City Alliance. This will enable ACHR to intervene and give advice on City Alliance activities in the region.

F.2  ACHR (a member of the steering committee of CITYNET) continued preparations to  jointly organise with CITYNET  a workshop in Thailand back to back with the CITNET conference.

F.3  As Board member of Habitat International Coalition (HIC) ACHR attended the HIC Annual meeting in Nairobi and was actively involved in selecting the new Secretary General of HIC. Whilst in Nairobi Somsook also attended meetings with HABITAT – UNCHS and local Kenyan community groups.

  F.4 ACHR continued to give advisory support to Homeless International (UK) to prepare a proposal for an International Community Fund to be presented to DFID.

F.5 Continuation of work with SDI: As part of Slum / Shack Dwellers International ACHR is working with groups from Africa, Latin America and Asia to set up the SDI as a registered foundation to enable support from International donors. The SDI will be a similar coalition to ACHR  (in Asia), but have an international scope. 

F.6 Continued research study and publications in Pakistan:

F.6.1 Small scale business effects of Structural Adjustment program by World Bank.

F.6.2 Initial support to the development and publication of a magazine  reflecting views of different actors in the City of Karachi, particularly  those of the poor. Organised by City Press Karachi. With assistance from Arif Hasan.

F.7  Continuation of Eviction Watch and Rights Reports and Publications from Cities in Asia Coordinated by Ted Anna Philippines. 

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G. Urban Poor Funds 
Quarter: Jan – March  2001

G.1  Continued support to the Urban Poor Development Funds ACHR established in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.  ACHR also discussed the initiation of an Urban Poor Development Fund in Nepal during this quarter. 

UPDF process and institutional background is detailed HERE

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H. Review Planning Steering Committee Meetings 
         No meeting this quarter - 
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I. Evaluation and Monitoring 
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J. Specific Local NGO CBO &  Partnership Processes
 Quarter: Jan – March  2001

  What is happening in ACHR Activities April - June  2001  HERE