Advocating for Change
Hussein is active in community organizing via a partnership he formed with a few fellow commuters. Meanwhile, Malika has partnered with a group of women in the slum to collectively develop a system of support and a list of needs to present to local political leaders involved with the eventual elevation of the slum. They are actively creating alternative ways for the slum to evolve. When they can make the time, they attend local government meetings, and voice their needs and demands for specific and targeted universal public services.
“Widespread participation in urban governance can help ensure that urban policies address the needs of the most vulnerable. Such participation needs to be institutionalized, for instance via dedicated budgets and the formal inclusion of civil society organizations and marginalized communities, which can help to prevent capture of governance systems by the elite and deliver governance by all and for all.”
Timing and availability are a big problem for both groups. They often prepare for these meetings together on the bus, and in the commuter vans both Hussein and Malika, along with all the other community members, rely on to get around.
As they become more and more engaged and productive, they have targeted goals that clearly list how they want their slum life upgraded via government infrastructure that delivers impact. Their requests involve improvements in health care, clean and safe water, stable energy, proper housing and reliable transportation. The government has responded decently to their proposals however, it is in their best interest to make sure they continue making their voices heard in order to hold the government accountable for concrete outcomes.
Malika in particular, sometimes with the help of their children, is fighting hard to ensure that territorial and developmental planning go hand in hand. Basic services must be available to everyone, and the use of space must be sustainable for everyone.
It is hard to be heard by a government that doesn’t listen to the underserved, but in this case, with a newly elected administration, their needs are being heard. Their requests are many, and while it seems the government often prefers to dedicate resources to nearby wealthier communities that are trying to slow urbanization to prevent the slum from inching closer to them, there are government advocates actively engaging with them. Malika and other strong women in the community refuse to be ignored. They will not relent until their families and all residents are granted the full benefits of urban life.
All of this ideology is great and inspiring, but the immediacy of survival is at stake, and this is what consumes Hussein. The way he and Malika see it, their best bet is to endure sanitation and safety concerns, and wait for the fulfilment of promises to improve their suburban housing.