
Socio-economic transformation for secured housing
The program began with a noble objective to improve the living condition of the urban poor communities in the year 2005. The program which was initiated ten year back in Dharan, Bharatpur and Birgunj is now being implemented in fifth phase in Sundar Haraicha, Ratnanagar and Kalaiya.
With the encouraging and effective participation of the community people and harmonious partnership with the local government for the development of the targeted urban poor communities, the program (fifth phase) with the title 'Integrated Community Improvement Program for Socio-economic Transformation of the families in need' is under implementation in Sundar Haraicha, Ratnanagar and Kalaiya covering 59 slum and squatter settlements (21 communities in Ratnanagar with 1004 households comprising 3898 people, 21 communities in Kalaiya with 1659 households comprising 10962 people and 17 communities in Sundar Haraicha with 819 households comprising approximately 3358 people).
The current phase basically aims for sustainable improvement in the living condition of the families resided in the urban poor communities with the objectives to bring the following change.
~ Improve the housing situation, physical living conditions and security of tenure
~ Formulate community development action plans (CAP), endorse the plans by local authorities and its integration in the municipal budget planning
~ Empower the women through savings groups and cooperatives.
~ Improve the health conditions through better access to water and sanitation
~ Improve children’s access to education and to the district child welfare services.
The project is implemented adopting People Led Development Process (PLDP) approach as Lumanti has always been working for the needy people in the community making them as the major part of the project. Understanding that the PLA is a process of self-realization and self-values in which community people are made realized their self-capacity building, decrease in dependency by building their capacity and then to aware about sustainable development, Lumanti is working in the community as a facilitator for their social and economic transformation by making them realized their needs and essentiality. Lumanti encourages and facilitates the community and other stakeholders to evolve the inner capacity of the people for making their own traditional occupation and business an effective one by enhancing and promoting conventional knowledge, processes and skills. Lumanti also facilitates the community and the people to tap the Resources of the local government and the line agencies and will mobilize it as per their need and demand.
The engagement of the community in the project activities is one of the major approaches of Lumanti to implement its project to ensure strong participation and ownership. Users committee, Child Groups/Clubs are formed for the management and implementation of activities and the users committee together with the communities are mobilized and efforts are made for the institutionalization of the community processes so they can take full responsibility of the project and could act to ensure sustainability of the project. Capacity strengthening, awareness and education of the community is one of the major part. Apart from training and orientations, various different activities are adopted to disseminate the knowledge on the subject matters like shelter rights, child rights, WASH, Disaster Risk Reduction and other right based issues in the community effectively. Activities include education sessions, cultural activities like street drama and cleanup campaign, mass awareness rally, art competition, health camps, wall paintings, visibility boards with key message etc. These activities are conducted in partnership with local CBOs specifically women cooperatives and youth groups/networks by strengthening their capacities.
The strategy to work with CBOs like Urban Poverty Alleviation Forum (UPAF) in Kalaiya and Women Saving and Credit groups Cooperatives in all cities is being promoted. Under this concept, the capacity of the CBOs is gradually enhanced in delivering project activities which definitely support for the successful, effective and efficient implementation of the project works. On the whole, CBOs with support from Lumanti is supposed to establish coordination and linkages more strongly with the municipalities and the sector stakeholders at municipal level.
Apart from thses Lumanti is working in partnership with the municipality, and communities along with working in close coordination with other stakeholders such as TLO, political representatives, service providers, and district offices of sector agencies, civil societies etc. at the municipal and district level to address needs of the targeted poor and vulnerable communities within the municipality.
Lumanti has always made efforts to mobilize local contribution from beneficiaries as well as other stakeholders and partners including the municipality and other line agencies within the municipality and district to ensure ownership of the outputs and the process by the community.