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
–
–
NotesDate 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.