Empowerment of Vulnerable Community through Integrated Slum Area Development
Through support from COINS Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Great Britain and other partners, we have successfully completed the first phase of Vulnerable Community Empowerment project as part of the Urban Slum Upgrading (USU) project in three districts of Addis Ababa. With the three-year project more than 37,000 individuals who have been affected by various aspects of vulnerability get access to decent housing, safe water, improved sanitation, and better hygiene practices.
In the second phase of the project we intend to empower vulnerable communities through provision of decent houses, safe water, sanitation solutions and creating job opportunities in economically deprived suburbs and slum areas of Akakai-Kaliti, Lideta and Gulelle localities in Addis Ababa. The project is designed in a way to enhance dignity, reduce morbidity and mortality resulting from deteriorated housing conditions, and waterborne diseases.
Furthermore, the project empowers families economically with particular attention to women and girls. As part of women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion, the project focuses on organizing unemployed women and girls in saving groups through providing entrepreneurship training. The trained women will be linked with financial service providers and enhance income-generation capacity.
As new approach Habitat Ethiopia integrates housing and WASH with income generating activities for women and girls. Women and girls fully administer public toilets, water schemes and shower facilities constructed by Habitat Ethiopia. They collect service fees for their income to improve livelihood. They also use it for maintenance of the facilities.
Another unique feature of the project is creating more space for families who live in crowded slum areas where land is not made available easily. Habitat Ethiopia constructs houses with more elevated roof with additional room above the living area.
With the second phase of this project, we aim to directly serve 10,640 individuals, mainly women with low income, unemployed girls and persons with disabilities who have been impacted by substandard housing and inadequate basic services. More than 5,300 unregistered residents benefit indirectly from the projects as sanitation facilities and drainage ditches create healthy environment. Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia ensures successful implementation and sustainability of the project by engaging stakeholders, families, and community members.