Search results for - ‘poverty’

In the east Indian state of Odisha, more than 1.7 million people – about 25% of the state’s total population – live in urban slums. Slums dwellers endure terrible, unsanitary conditions without access to basic amenities and infrastructure, such as running water, power and sewers, and lack land rights and recourse to public subsidies. As […]

A tenant-run housing cooperative is responsible for the social and environmental regeneration of this disadvantaged and semi-abandoned housing estate near Perth. The local community has been involved throughout the process. Emphasis has been placed on keeping design within the cost yardstick, creating local employment opportunities and reducing crime. Energy saving design has reduced the incidence of fuel poverty and damp-related illness.  

Nashira Un Canto de Amor (a song of love) is an eco-village in rural Colombia built for and by women who have suffered domestic violence and/or displacement as a result of Colombia’s fifty year civil war.

Project Description The programme helps people from low-income communities become homeowners in the district of Anantapur and surrounding areas in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The main groups supported by the programme are members of the Dalit castes (this term refers to the lowest castes in the traditional Indian caste system), scheduled castes and tribes […]

The Grameen Bank established a housing loan programme in 1984 to enable poor rural families to own permanent and cyclone-proof homes. To date 617,000 such homes have been completed and the programme is continuing with building over 30,000 new homes each year. The maximum housing loan available is $249, which is repayable over 5 years at an interest-rate of 8 per cent.  The title to the home is vested with the woman who thereby obtains financial security and improved status within the family and society.  

This project provides an integrated solution to the housing, land, health and livelihood problems faced by socially excluded families in the city of San Carlos and surrounding areas. The comprehensive approach combines the provision of basic services with livelihood programmes, the provision of micro-finance and access to secure land tenure, assisting over 45,000 low-income families and individuals to date.

Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the historic US city of New Orleans in 2005, left many people homeless, whole communities displaced and homes abandoned. The project is providing affordable homes for local people by renovating abandoned historic homes in neighbourhoods which are vulnerable to gentrification. A rental subsidy and an affordability restriction that runs with the […]

The Building and Construction Improvement Programme works with local communities in Pakistan to develop and manufacture a range of affordable, environmentally- and regionally-appropriate home improvement products. Over 60 different products have been tested and applied to date, benefiting nearly 70,000 people across 125 villages in the Northern Areas and Chitral.

This Development Workshop France (DWF) programme has worked over many years with families and local governments in Viet Nam to apply key principles of safe storm and flood resistant construction, both to existing and new homes, as well as to community buildings. Over 2000 cyclone-resistant houses have been achieved to date through the programme, with many other households choosing to use the construction techniques. Communicating these basic principles to local people is an important part of the programme. The building techniques are now being progressively adopted by local and provincial governments, as well as other NGOs and agencies, both in Viet Nam and abroad.

Complejo Monteagudo is a community-led and managed housing project involving the mutual-help construction of 326 housing units for formerly homeless members of the MTL Territorial Liberation Movement in Buenos Aires. With over 400 permanent jobs generated to date, the project represents a symbolic victory in the struggle of low-income families for housing, employment and the right to the city.

AVE/CEVE is a a non-governmental organisation dedicated to research, technological development, transfer and training in the field of low-cost housing. The organisation works to promote social inclusion, access to housing for low-income groups and alternative ways of tackling a range of housing-related issues. Key features of AVE/CEVE’s work include the participatory development of integral building systems, sustainable building components and tools for community organisation. To date 5,475 homes have been built or improved using the technologies, management and financial systems developed. These ’hard’ and ’soft’ technologies have been widely transferred throughout Latin America, benefiting approximately 140 NGOs, communities and governments in the region.

The IGLOO France association works to support local organisations involved in the field of housing and socioeconomic integration to implement participatory housing processes involving very marginalised households. The approach enables vulnerable individuals, families and groups of families to obtain adequate and affordable housing (either through rental or affordable property ownership schemes), to acquire the necessary skills and self-esteem to seek employment, and to be reintegrated into the broader society. As of December 2011, 400 homes had been built or renovated, significantly improving the housing conditions of 850 vulnerable persons, and 65 per cent of households had at least one member in permanent or temporary employment.

Over the last 20 years, Fundación Pro Vivienda Social (Social Housing Foundation – FPVS) has worked to improve living conditions in Greater Buenos Aires, by promoting social inclusion, empowering communities, improving housing conditions and connecting them to basic services. Since 2010, FPVS has been implementing the Community Development Plan (CDP) in all the communities where it works, giving a holistic vision and an increasingly important role to residents in the development of their communities. Three strategies have been defined to carry out the CDP: community empowerment, design and implementation of innovative projects and promotion of pro-poor businesses, with five programmes running to date, namely the Integral Gasification Project, Housing Improvement and Young Builders Project, Community Education Centre (CEC), Neighbourhood Development Observatory and Inclusive Business Park.

Disabled people on low incomes face significant challenges. Poor access and inadequate housing mean they are often housebound and need constant support at home. This project in Medellín helps with simple adaptions and improvements to bathrooms and so eases their daily living conditions. The effects are remarkable giving independence to disabled people and allowing them, their families and carers more independence and improved quality of life.

Following the Slum Dwellers International approach and challenging Malawi’s ‘hand out culture’, this project is very much community-driven. It focuses on poor communities across the country, particularly in urban areas, and takes a comprehensive approach to development by empowering communities to organise, improve their living conditions and infrastructure, and increase their incomes by setting up viable enterprises.

Sanitation is a growing problem in Argentina, where six million people (almost one-in-seven of the population) do not currently have a bathroom inside their home. Four million people live in informal settlements, where less than one-in-twenty (4.85%) of the population has access to sanitation. This lack of sanitation, and resulting poor hygiene practices, adversely affects […]

The Rural Health and Environment Programme successfully demonstrates how communities can be involved in the sustainable and affordable development of their own community infrastructure and housing. This holistic approach starts with the provision of water and sanitation and moves on to the self-funded development of housing. Over 8,000 households have been involved to date in the programme which continues to expand throughout the state of Orissa. A total loan approach is used for the housing so that all costs are met by the villagers themselves. The housing programme is linked to the provision of training and income generation opportunities to ensure its long-term economic sustainability.     

Over 15,000 families have benefited to date from the Bento Rubião Foundation’s pioneering work with the Right to Land and Right to Housing programmes in Rio de Janeiro. These programmes address issues of land tenure and urban regularisation, as well as innovative approaches to housing provision. In addition to empowering communities to improve their living conditions, FBR is also working successfully to influence both local and national government policy.      

A government run initiative, this programme works with the private sector to provide stand alone solar energy systems to homes in remote rural areas. Improved lighting reduces kerosene and pinewood use and improves air quality and health. It allows children to study at home and gives flexibility in working time. The partnership has installed 41,379 home systems to date at a cost of US$ 133 per house and provides maintenance and installation training to rural people.      

Using a pro-poor approach, and in defiance of initial government relocation policy, Uplink is working with 23 of the villages worst affected by the 2004 tsunami to provide 3,500 homes and infrastructure and to increase community cohesion and reconciliation. Community members are involved at every level, and employed wherever possible. A combination of training and village based loan funds provides increased opportunities to improve long-term livelihood prospects.

Established in Burlington, Vermont in 1984, the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) was an early pioneer of the community land trust approach of providing affordable housing in perpetuity. CHT’s homes are, on average, affordable to households earning only 57 per cent of the area’s median income and it has over 2,200 properties for low-cost home ownership and rental. Over 200 community land trusts have now been established throughout the United States, with pilot schemes currently being carried out in both Canada and the UK.

Established in 1998, Home Ownership Alternatives (HOA) is a non-profit financial corporation operating in Greater Toronto which finances the development of affordable ownership housing. It uses a range of innovative financial mechanisms, including shared appreciation second mortgages, to enable low and moderate income families become home owners. Working with development partners, HOA has supported 11 housing developments providing 2,350 homes to date. A range of housing types are provided including apartments, duplexes and townhouses, all of which are more affordable to those families who fall in the gap between social housing provision and conventional home ownership provision.

Established in 1979, the Integrated Village Development Project (IVDP) is a not-for-profit organisation working in Tamil Nadu, India to improve the living conditions of both the urban and rural poor. IVDP’s work is built around mobilising poor women to come together to form self-help saving groups (SHG), thereby helping them improve their economic and social position. To date, 6,700 groups have been established, each of which is made up of 12 to 20 disadvantaged women. IVDP has sourced affordable credit lines for the members of the saving groups, enabling the construction of 24,705 houses and 17,000 toilets. Awareness-raising campaigns help improve wider vulnerable groups’ understanding of water, sanitation and personal hygiene practices.

The GLOBE Community Champions Program works with social housing providers in the Province of Ontario to educate, engage and support staff and residents in conservation efforts. This initiative trains members of the social housing community on sustainable practices that lead to improved water and energy use and reduced waste. The program uses an integrated approach, linking efficient technologies with preventative maintenance and resident behaviour. To date, over 150 residents and housing staff in 56 communities have been trained as Community Champions, resulting in resource and cost savings and improved engagement in sustainability issues.

Liter of Light uses cheap, readily available materials to provide high quality lighting to homes in poor communities. Recycled plastic bottles filled with water and a bit of bleach are fitted into the roof to provide daylighting and can be upgraded with an LED bulb, micro-solar panels and a battery to provide a low cost night lighting system. Liter of Light works with the local community to produce the lighting systems creating jobs locally. By embracing social media and the philosophy of open-source technology, the project has grown from nothing to lighting up 160,000 homes in the Philippines and has now spread around the world.