Self-reliance & resilience in slum women's groups

Slum families raise plinth of houses to overcome damage caused by  water-logging on streets from sudden heavy rains (associated with climate changes), and this water entering slum houses.

In Indore, a fast growing city of over 3 million, climate change has contributed to sudden heavy rains during the months of June to September, which causes distress to slum dwellers. 

UHRC's social facilitators encourage slum women's group members and families to improve their houses brick-by-brick. 

Utilizing the collective social needs funds that UHRC has trained slum women’s groups to generate, utilize for loans and manage records of, families have steadily elevated plinth of houses to prevent rain water from entering house.

During April 2014 to March 2016, over 1000 slum houses have elevated their plinth in Indore with UHRC guided savings and loan scheme, benefitting over 75,000  slum population including  those renting rooms. 

Direct program cost of encouraging  180,000 urban slum/informal-settlement population in Indore to improve dwellings was about Indian Rupees 20 per person per year.

Links:

• Slum women's groups & UHRC team negotiate with authorities
• Slum youth group present street play on ills of alcoholism
• UHRC research depicts social exclusion of urban migrants