SDI Mission and Vision
SDI is a network of community-based organisations of the urban poor in 32 countries and hundreds of cities and towns across Africa, Asia and Latin America. In each country where SDI has a presence, affiliate organisations come together at the community, city and national level to form federations of the urban poor.
Since 1996, this network has helped to create a global voice of the urban poor, engaging international agencies and operating on the international stage in order to support and advance local struggles.Nevertheless, the principal theatre of practice for SDI’s constituent organisations is the local level: the informal settlements where the urban poor of the developing world struggle to build more inclusive cities, economies, and politics.
Since 1996, this network has helped to create a global voice of the urban poor, engaging international agencies and operating on the international stage in order to support and advance local struggles.Nevertheless, the principal theatre of practice for SDI’s constituent organisations is the local level: the informal settlements where the urban poor of the developing world struggle to build more inclusive cities, economies, and politics.
Practices for Change
SDI is committed to supporting a process that is driven from below. SDI’s practices for change include community planning activities that build political capital for communities both internally and externally.
The Secretariat facilitates horizontal exchanges and sharing programs amongst member Federations. Within communities, activities like enumeration (household-to-household socio-economic surveys) and mapping create space for communities to: identify developmental priorities, organize leadership, expose and mediate community challenges, and cohere around future planning.
Ultimately, the aim is to create situations in which the urban poor are able to play a central role in “co-producing” access to land, services, and housing.
The Secretariat facilitates horizontal exchanges and sharing programs amongst member Federations. Within communities, activities like enumeration (household-to-household socio-economic surveys) and mapping create space for communities to: identify developmental priorities, organize leadership, expose and mediate community challenges, and cohere around future planning.
Ultimately, the aim is to create situations in which the urban poor are able to play a central role in “co-producing” access to land, services, and housing.
Slum Upgrading
There is not, and never will be, a one-size-fits-all approach to upgrading of informal settlements. Upgrading is any intervention that improves the physical conditions of a settlement, which in turn enhances the lives of its inhabitants.
Learning Exchanges
Horizontal learning exchange from one urban poor community to another is the primary learning strategy of SDI. The exchanges create a platform for learning that builds alternative community-based politics and “expertise,” challenging the notion that development solutions must come from professionals.
Savings Schemes
Saving groups are often regarded as the cornerstone of SDI because they allow members to access short-term loans, and prepare communities for medium and large-scale financial management necessary for slum upgrading projects.
Central Participation of Women
For SDI, the central participation of women is a critical component of a gender-sensitive mobilization strategy. By prioritizing leadership potential for women, federations alter traditionally male dominated communities and strengthen grassroots leadership.
Enumeration and Mapping
Community planning activities such as enumeration (household-to-household socio-economic surveys) and mapping allow communities to identify developmental priorities, organize leadership, expose and mediate grievances between parts of the community and cohere around future planning.
Partnerships
SDI federations cannot address informal settlement challenges on their own. SDI engages with governments, international organisations, academia and other institutions wherever possible to create relationships that benefit the urban poor.