Struggles by the urban poors to improve their living standards

General Experience

In Tanzania, in 1992, the NGO, Women’s Advancement Trust, executed a development project in conjunction with the local and federal government and the social organization Chang’ombe Nkuhungu. The purpose of the program was to improve the conditions shelter and working toward the alleviation of poverty in Dodoma. The need for housing and other community facilities is critical in Dodoma, the new capital of Tanzania. 25,000 people benefitted from this program

Actors Involved

Women’s Advancement Trust; Chang’ombe Nkuhungu; Dodoma Municipal Council; CDA; and Women and Shelter Network (WAS)

Role of NGO

The role of the NGO is to act as a mediator between the various organizations and government entities. They also are the coordinators of the project

Role of the Social Organizations

The social organizations within this project took on a couple of roles: they made many of the important decisions regarding the program; and they mobilized the various actors into implementing the program

Local and Federal Role

National policies are generally very supportive of community participation in squatter settlements but this often does not reflect reality. There is too much bureaucracy in the system of local government and administration which impedes the national policies that support communal decision-making

However, in this specific case study local and federal government granted permission to access the land for housing construction and rehabilitation, provided the land was available

Women’s Role

Women provided both the leadership and labor to this project

Type of Relations between the NGO and the Government

The relationship between the NGO and the local and federal governments was of negotiation in order to use the land for the housing construction

Levels and Type of Impact

The program made an impact on local public policies.