ABSTRACT

This chapter considers the experience of the membership organisations that make up the international network of Shack or Slum Dwellers International (SDI), 1 an international network of national urban poor Federations and their support NGOs. Each federation is made up of local community organisations that are savings schemes (in which women are a majority of participants). Since its inception in 1996, the international network has grown significantly (see Table 12.1). Through an analysis of the experiences of the SDI members, we will identify some successful strategies with regard to the contribution of membership organisations to poverty reduction in urban areas. SDI information – 2005 https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">

Date 1

Number of settlements where there is a process 2

Active savers 3

Savings 4

Houses built

Land secured (number of families)

India

1986

5000

100,000

$1.2 million

5000 5

50,000

South Africa

1991

700

30,000

$1.2 million

15,500

23,000

Thailand

1992

42,700

5,000,000

$206 million

30,000

30,000

Namibia

1992

60

10,500

$0.5 million

1000

3700

Cambodia

1993

288

11,300

$145,000

3300

800

Philippines

1994

148

42,727

$631,830

13,388

18,191

Zimbabwe

1995

58

30,000

Z$350 million

650

3500

Nepal

1998

396

3147

$173,402

50

85

Sri Lanka

1998

130

21,506

$29,469

100

2000

Colombia

1999

1

60

$10,000

60

Kenya

2000

30

20,000

$5000

38

3500

Zambia

2002

11

6000

$8000

Ghana

2003

15

5000

$50,000

Uganda

2003

4

500

$2000

150

Malawi

2004

100

20,000

$50,000

222

450

Brazil

2005

5

100

$4000

7000

Tanzania

2004

16

1000

$2000

Notes

Date refers to the date at which significant savings scheme activity began, not the date at which federations were first established.

This is the most meaningful measure of growth of SDI and the indicator measures settlements in which grassroots activities are taken place to build collective capacity and catalyse people-led development. It has to be recognised that settlements may vary in size from about 100 households to tens of thousands of households. In general, larger settlements are divided into recognised neighbourhoods for daily transactions, and it is the neighbourhoods rather than the settlements that are measured here – nevertheless considerable differences in size remain.

The second key indicator of growth is the number of residents (overwhelmingly women) who save on a regular basis and who therefore participate in all savings-related activities.

Local currency values converted to the US dollar. Political and economic instabilities in Zimbabwe mean these figures are meaningless and they are not given for this country. Changes in currency due to international trading may distort values.

A further 30,000 families in India have been resettled into units not constructed by the Federation as a result of Federation involvement in urban development.