{"id":54217,"date":"2019-08-22T12:04:09","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T15:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=54217"},"modified":"2020-08-07T14:02:35","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T17:02:35","slug":"bottom-up-development-lessons-from-the-winners-of-the-2019-community-led-habitat-awards-for-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=54217","title":{"rendered":"Bottom-Up Development Lessons from the Winners of the 2019 Community-Led Habitat Awards for Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Here on RioOnWatch, we often report on community-based solutions to housing and urban development in Rio. With this focus in mind, on occasion, we may publish articles such as this one, highlighting solutions to housing and infrastructure issues piloted by communities across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This article profiles three initiatives that were awarded the 2019 Community-Led Habitat Award by<\/span><\/i> The Co-Habitat Network<\/span><\/i><\/a>, an organization supporting ground-up, community-based solutions to housing and development in Africa. These<\/span><\/i> awards<\/span><\/i><\/a> recognize innovative approaches to reclaiming housing rights among geographically and politically marginalized populations. Whereas urban development is often top-down, framed by politicians with little or no community control, these initiatives engage the communities with a stake in the matter as the most capable and important agents of change. Beyond providing recognition, the awards also inform dialogue and sharing of best practices at the United Nations Governing Council in Nairobi, Kenya.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Dzivarasekwa Informal Settlement Upgrading Project: Dzivarasekwa Extension, Zimbabwe<\/b><\/h3>\n

Based in the Dzivarasekwa Extension (DZ Ext) in Zimbabwe, the Dzivarasekwa Informal Settlement Upgrading Project demonstrates the far-reaching impact that community-led initiatives can achieve when bolstered by receptive local and national policymakers. Today, the ambitious project works to develop the housing situation, sanitation infrastructure, technical capacity, and financial autonomy of 480 families living in the DZ Ext community. Engaging community, local, and national stakeholders, the project is jointly carried out and supported by the<\/span> Zimbabwe Homeless People\u2019s Federation<\/span><\/a>, the<\/span> Dialogue on Shelter for the Homeless Trust<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Slum Dwellers International<\/span><\/a>, the Harare City government, and the central government of Zimbabwe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nLocated nearly 20 kilometers west of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital and most populous city,<\/span> DZ Ext was created by the government in 1993<\/span><\/a> as a<\/span>\u00a0holding camp for evictees<\/span><\/a> removed from the high-density Harare suburbs of Mbare and Epworth, both of which had seen rapid growth outpace infrastructure developments. Some of these evictees <\/span>were then sent to the Hatcliffe area of Harare in 2004<\/span>, where they received more permanent government-allocated plots. Prior to this relocation, DZ Ext was home to 2000 families\u2014a number which swelled and shrunk over the years, as<\/span> widespread government evictions and forced informal settlement clearance<\/span><\/a> displaced families across the country. These State-led efforts were part of Operation Murambatsvina (Restore Order), which aimed to reduce the prevalence of informal housing and activities throughout the country. In 2007, the State gave control of DZ Ext to the Zimbabwe Homeless People\u2019s Federation. As of 2014, most of the 450 families in DZ Ext were members of the Federation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the land had already been allocated for the purpose of pro-poor housing structure and policy, the City Council of Harare and the Zimbabwe central government decided to develop houses and infrastructure using DZ Ext as a pilot project in upgrading to demonstrate the potential of high-density residential models to sustain affordable and adequate infrastructure. Primarily, the efforts by a coalition of City employees and community members have focused on creating<\/span> new housing unit models and improving the sanitation and water facilities<\/span><\/a> through the construction of more boreholes and Ecosan toilets to replace the previous pit latrines (<\/span>Ecosan toilets are superior<\/span><\/a> as they use a closed system, thus avoiding the risk of groundwater contamination).<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Many of the challenges that have plagued the DZ Ext community have to do with the challenges of urban sprawl. The community’s significant distance from Harare results in a lack of appropriately connected amenities, namely water and sewerage infrastructure. After the Federation requested residential structures from local government officials, the City Council of Harare provided expertise and human resources for installing necessary infrastructure\u2014such as water, reticulation, and roads\u2014in the community. The<\/span> Dialogue and Federation, meanwhile, led the \u201csuperstructure\u201d interventions<\/span><\/a>, with the Homeless Federation bearing the brunt of the work for home construction, maintaining a strong focus on capacity-building throughout implementation. With the City and other institutional partners, male and female residents received training in the upgrading and maintenance of the new construction, ranging from topics such as solar installations to brick-laying.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nCommunity members and local policymakers cite their partnership and division of labor as the key to DZ Ext\u2019s success over the initial five years of the collaboration and beyond. Wins include the development of local capacity to construct homes, community structures, and sustainable sanitation infrastructure for over 480 families in the area based on their own understanding of the area\u2019s needs. To achieve this, the leadership of the project held numerous meetings and community forums to incorporate input and address concerns from DZ Ext residents. Pushback came from feelings of distrust and wariness regarding the intentions of the government:\u00a0some residents felt that \u201cdensification\u201d was merely a euphemism for forcibly pushing community members into apartments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The recognized efforts in DZ Ext are part of a larger effort called the Harare Slum Upgrading Project, which seeks to improve communities throughout the region, and reflects the collaboration between the Federation, the Dialogue, and central and local governments. Part of the Harare Slum Upgrading Project is the expansion of a financing facility (HSUFF) and its activities beyond just the DZ Ext, where it has been providing loans over the last few years. By 2016, this financing facility had issued over 150 loans to approximately 550 households, issuing loans in four categories: income generation, water and sanitation, housing, and land acquisition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brenda Hove,<\/span><\/a> part of the HSUFF management team, explains that the financing program began to experience challenges with disbursements and repayments after a relatively smooth start in 2014, coinciding with volatility in the national currency. \u201cWhen the<\/span> cash shortages<\/span><\/a> began to flare up, it affected our disbursements, because we used to disburse loans via the bank. But we couldn\u2019t continue doing that, because the clients were facing challenges withdrawing those loans from the bank\u2026 They were being given smaller amounts every day, and quite a sizable chunk of the loan would go to bank charges,” said Hove. In order to adapt, HSUFF was forced to switch to a cash-based system for repayments and disbursements. However, even this was not a permanent solution; the businesses depend on the public to purchase their wares, and given the instability of cash flow, customers became wary of spending their money. As the program looks to scale in scope and size, developing a solid financial structure will be crucial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Five nearby settlements which were profiled along with DZ Ext by the government are now attempting to learn from and replicate the work that has been done in DZ Ext. While the DZ Ext efforts are nowhere near finished, and each context will require unique conversation and adaptation, the collective efforts and accomplishments in DZ Ext are encouraging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Walukuba Material Building Training Center: Jinja City, Uganda<\/b><\/h3>\n

The<\/span> Walukuba Material Building Training Center<\/span><\/a>, founded in 2015 and located in the small community of Walukuba in Jinja City, Uganda, merges production and education innovatively through establishing a multi-purpose building including workshop, community hall and a hostel. While constantly being used for social gatherings and community meetings, citizens from all regions of Uganda are invited to come and learn how to build low-cost buildings with appropriate and sustainable materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The idea, planning, and implementation came out of a partnership between the<\/span> National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda<\/span><\/a> (NSDFU), <\/span>ACtogether Uganda<\/span><\/a>, members of Slum Dwellers International (SDI), and the City of Jinja. In a memorandum of understanding, all parties decided to construct the training center and support low-cost housing construction and education within the municipal boundaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project describes its benefits to the wider community of Walukuba in terms of economic, ecological, and social advantages. While striving to provide Walakuba’s younger and female population with the capacity to independently produce sustainable material compounds and knowledge of their assembly during construction, the training center also creates employment for six community members and ten more citizens from other regions of Uganda working on the construction site. The project also achieves an appreciable social impact by having created a new space for community meetings and gatherings. According to the alliance of NSDFU and ACtogether, their interagency collaboration has already led to a consolidation of the relationship between the greater municipality, the local community, and the alliance as an independent development partner. Last, the project has supported ecological consciousness, placing an educational focus on eco-friendly materials that are cheaply available in flexible quantities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the founders of the Material Building Training Center, the NSDFU generates additional income through training and building material fees as well as the renting out of community hall and hostel rooms to independent hosts, visitors, and participants. The NSDFU redistributes this revenue to other projects in informal settlements in which they and the state operate. The financing came from a US$17,777 government subsidy and US$20,586 from Slum Dwellers International (SDI). ACTogether and NSDFU work in an alliance and as representative members of SDI to provide funding and local community action to promote pro-poor policy and practice in urban development. ACTogether also monitors the project in collaboration with the city of Jinja through monthly project reports by the members responsible for running the center. One major challenge that remains for the project, however, is that local tax departments have failed to recognize the training center as a non-profit community initiative. The center thus struggles with the high costs of water, electricity, and hostel room taxes\u2014costs that would otherwise be abated by an NGO status. The project thus has a ways to go in achieving closer collaboration and transparency between city and state tax departments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three positive points can be derived from the successful practice of the Walukuba Material Building Training Center, and may provide lessons for other communities. First, while being available to every community member, the focus on youth and women is a considerable factor\u2013not only as a countermeasure against unemployment among young people but also for a just society in which men and women are equally empowered to build their own dwelling spaces. Second, the establishment of a building and construction education center focusing on sustainable building materials efficiently contributes to a broad field of ecological practice. And third, the training center sets an exciting precedent for a successful partnership between the City, the local community, and third-party development partners, in this case, represented by ACtogether and the NSDFU as financial supporters and knowledgeable mediators.<\/span><\/p>\n

Home Improvement and Reconstruction Project: Dakar, Senegal<\/b><\/h3>\n

Since its inception in 2015, the<\/span> Home Improvement and Reconstruction Project in Dakar, Senegal<\/a> has rebuilt and fortified over 300 homes in suburban informal settlements to mitigate the impacts of flooding and other climate risks. The project was spearheaded by the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants (FSH<\/a>), a federation of over 5,000 residents of the informal settlements of Dakar. In partnership with Dakar-based NGO<\/span> UrbaSEN<\/span><\/a>, FSH financed the project through an innovative “revolving fund<\/a>” (a self-replenishing pool of money that utilizes interest and principal payments on old loans to issue new ones) that has provided its members access to affordable financing for home improvement projects. <\/span>While the FSH\/UrbaSEN fund received start-up capital from Swiss and French development agencies, the revolving fund soon expanded and scaled up through the collective savings of members of FSH. All 5,000 members contribute 5,000 Senegalese francs per month, per savings group. FSH members then receive loans through the fund to improve their homes that have to be paid back within 20 months. Interest is 5%: 1% goes to the beneficiary\u2019s savings group, 1% to FSH, 1% to UrbaSEN, and 2% to the revolving fund to cover recovery risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n