HIC WAS NEWSLETTER 14

HIC WAS Newsletter No. 14, April 2000 Newsletter of the Women and Shelter Network of the Habitat International Coalition (HIC) the NGO alliance on human settlements.  The Network links people and Organisations working on women and shelter issues.  The Network is promoted by Reference and Initiative Centres in different regions of the world.

In this issue.... Message from the Secretary HIC News Network News International News Africa Latin America North America Asia Bulletin Board Documents and Resources

Dear Colleagues,

Preparations for the Global Campaign on Secure Tenure are being undertaken by the United Nations Centre of Human Settlements (UNCHS-HABITAT). The campaign on secure tenure willbe in advance of another global campaign on Urban Governance. Both Campaigns aim at promoting a vision of our urban future based on inclusion, social and economic development.

HIC-WAS will be the driving force behind the campaign on Secure Tenure. Both campaigns will be based on empowering individuals, households and communities to gain greater controlover their own lives. Thus the success of the campaign will very much depend on the effective participation of the individual players at all levels: locally, regionally and globally. It istherefore very important for all partners taking part in the campaign to understand fully the meaning of secure tenure and good governance.

Security of tenure describes an agreement between an individual or group to land and residential property which is governed and regulated by a legal and administrative framework. The security derives from the fact that the right of access and use of land and property is underwritten by a known set of rules and that this right is justifiable. The tenure can be effected in a variety of ways, depending on the constitutional and legal framework, social norms and cultural values.

A person or household can be said to have secure tenure when they are protected from involuntary removal from their land or residence even in so-called exceptional circumstances. Any removal must be done by means of a known and agreed legal procedures, which must itself be objective, equally applicable, contestable and independent. Thus the legal recognition and protection of secure tenure is one of the most significant steps that national governments should take towards the right to housing and to providing legal protection to the poor and marginalized sections of society. In all cases access to secure tenure must be based upon principles of gender equity and the explicit empowerment of women. On their part, the women wherever they are, whether in nongovernmental organisations, public institutions, or their own individual capacities must plan to be effective players in the campaign. The women should not play the role of observers but should work together with other implementors of the campaign for secure tenure. If we as women really want to influence change then we must make sure that we form part of the organisers and implementors of the campaigns. Together we can
make a difference!

Tabitha Siwale, MP
Secretary, HIC- Women and Shelter Network
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Illegal Forced Evictions in Mumbai

with information provided by HIC

For some years now, the railway verges of lndia's largest city, Mumbai, have been home to thousands of people. These people live as close as within 1 metre of the track of Mumbai's busiest commuter line. They live there because they have nowhere else to go and there is neither land nor accommodation available for them in Mumbai.

This situation is acknowledged to be intolerable by all involved. The residents of these informal settlements live in constant danger of death under the wheels of trains. Indian Railways have been forced to reduce the operating speed of their trains to avoid accidents. To accommodate this, the Railways have contemplated purchasing additional engines and passenger cars at a cost of millions of US Dollars.

Three years ago local NGOs working with the Railway Slum-dwellers' Federation (RSDF) came up with an innovative alternative. Instead of spending money to buy more trains, they proposed that the Railways and Mumbai Corporation invest the money in housing for the slum-dwellers. SDF would organise to move the residents back to a safe distance from the tracks,by building suitable multistory accommodation. The Railways and municipal officials agreed in principle, and have been negotiating this ground-breaking solution with the RSDF for some
time. RSDF and its partner organisations have worked for decades to build the capacity, organisation, and commitment that the slum-dwellers have demonstrated in this process.

Recently, the Government of the State of Maharashtra (in which Mumbai is located) unilaterally decided to evict these people. They have begun forced evictions and intend to evict as many as 25,000 people from homes they have occupied for as long as 40 years. These forced evictions not only violate the negotiations made with RSDP, but also international charters on human rights and rights to adequate shelter, and the laws of the State of Maharashtra which protects every slum-dweller resident prior to January 1 995 from eviction, and entities them to a secure dwelling on or near the same site.

Please consider writing a letter to relevant Indian authorities condemning these forced evictions. Your letter can be sent to the following officials:

     Mr. Bongirwar, Chief Secretary
     Government of Maharashtra
     Fax: +91-22-202-9594

     Dr. Joshi, Urban Development Secretary
     Government of Maharashtra
     Fax: +91-22-282-9282

     Mr. Thamal, Housing Secretary
     Government of Maharashtra
     Fax: +91-22-202-5939
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News from the Women and Habitat Program

by Wandia Seaforth, extracted from Newsnotes February 2000

From the team of the Women an Habitat Program (WHP), thank you for a year of working together and for almost five years of putting gender in the Habitat Agenda and for working to help monitor compliance from a gender perspective.

The Centre is now developing two global campaigns on Secure Tenure and Good Urban Governance respectively and WHP his already been consulting with Huairou Commission memberson the content of as well a possible future collaboration on the two campaigns The Secure Tenure campaign has a website (www.unchs.org/tenure). WHP is looking forward to the inputs ofthe Huairou Commission. We are particularly interested in your views and experiences on the tenure options that are particularly favourable to women, as well as policy issues that you
would like to see addressed in relation to women and secure tenure. Habitat Debate, Vol. 5 No. 3, is also dedicated to the subject of Secure Tenure (www.unchs.org/english/hdv5n3).

The Global Campaign on Urban Governance, whose goal is "the inclusive city" has been described in Habitat Debate Vol. 5 No.4. The latest exciting news is that the theme for World Habitat Day 2000, to be observed on 2 October, is "Women in Urban Governance".

Istanbul + 5 takes place in June 2001. Some of us are already involved in the Beijing + 5 process and the idea is to link the two processes. You can start by visiting the website (www.istanbul5.org) and linking to your local and/or national Istanbul + 5 process; contacting the Istanbul + 5 secretariat; contacting the Women and Habitat and keeping WHP informed of your activities.
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Victory for Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

with information provided by Leilani Farha, COHRE

In April 17, 2000, the 56th session of the UN Comission on Human Rights (CHR) adopted a resolution (E/CN 4/2000/ L24) on women's equal ownership of, access to and control over land, property and adequate housing. This is a significant achievement as it is the first time the CHR has adopted a resolution on these issues and has devoted an entire resolution to women's human rights issues under an agenda item not specifically devoted to women. Furthermore, the resolution is a milestone in the recognition of the gender dimensions of economic,
social and cultural rights, and draws connections between women's rights to own land and property, rights to housing and inheritance rights.

The resolution recognizes that practices that restrict women's equal access to credit and loans, which prevent women from owning and inheriting land, property and housing, are discriminatory and may contribute to the feminization of poverty. Furthermore, it recognizes that international and local trade, finance and investment policies should be designed so that they do not increase gender inequality in terms of ownership, access, and control of land, property and housing.

The resolution recommends that governments support the transformation of customs and traditions which deny women security of tenure and equal ownership of, access to and control over land, property, and adequate housing. It also recommends that governments ensure women's rights to equal treatment in land and agrarian reform as well as in land resettlement schemes. Governments should also take measures to increase land and housing availability to women living in poverty, particularly female heads of households. However, adopting the resolution is only one step towards real change in the lives of women. The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) recommends we use the resolution to promote, protect and enforce women's
rights to land, property, and housing by:
 

• Translating the resolution into your own language and using it in your existing strategies to have these rights realized for women;
• Translating the resolution into a popular format and using it as an educational tool so that women and men know about these rights;
• Using the resolution to lobby and to create dialogue with government officials, politicians, lawyers, judges and others;
• Using the resolution in your litigation strategies as a supporting legal document.

To access the full resolution, visit the following website: www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/FramePage/External3?OpenDocument

For more information contact:

Leilani Ferba,
Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE),
725 College Street,
PO Box 31OO1,
Toronto, Ontario,
M6G 4A7, Canada
Tel/Fax: + 1.416.968.2823
E-mail: farwise@attglobal.net
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Nicaragua: New Policies Favour Women in Land Purchases

From UN Wire

Director of Rural Land Titles Joaquin Ruis has said he will favour women in the distribution and purchase of land to alleviate past inequalities. Working with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Nicaraguan Institute of Women (INIM), Joaquin Ruis has drafted a resolution to equalize land deals and
implement policies favouring women.

Officials called this an "unquestionable necessity" for promotion of rural development not only in Nicaragua but throughout the world. "The formulation of these policies is part of the country's strategy to comply with all the commitments it made during the fourth UN Conference on Women in Beijing," said INIM Assistant Executive Director Daisy Orozco de Sirias.

FAO's Nicaragua representative Jean Ghyoot said he hopes this effort will translate into discussion and support for other programs throughout the world favouring women. "I believe that it is a program of great importance because it effectively recognizes that these women carry more of the burden on their backs because they have more responsibility in the home", he said.
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HIC General Secretary visits Tanzania

During the week of February 21-28, 2000, WAT had the honour of hosting a visit from Jerry Eldridge, the General Secretary of Habitat International Coalition (HIC). The purpose of his visit was to strengthen coalitions among African countries as a strategy for acquiring adequate affordable shelter. During his week long visit, he networked with various local grassroots organisations, NGOS, and governmentofficials to discuss what programs in the field of human settlements development are being implemented, the successes and constraints of these programs.

Jerry discussed these issues with the WAT staff and other organisations in Dar es Salaam including the Building Research Unit, the Ministry of Land, Housing and Human Settlements, the Centre for Housing Studies, and the Tanzania association of NGOs (TANGO). In Dodoma he met an umbrella NGO for environmental issues DONET. He also discussed housing issues with the Nala Makazi Housing Co-operative, a grassroots group which WAT is helping to realize their right to adequate shelter. This group has 100 members and they have recently acquired surveyed land from the Dodoma Local Authority (CDA) for their housing co-op site. Currently they are fighting for access to services, such as water, to be placed on their land. Members of the housing co-operative were eager to share their experiences in the struggle to acquire adequate housing with the HIC General Secretary and they welcomed him with dancing, singing, and a lively discussion. They expressed their desire to continue this networking and exchange visits between organisations in countries across Africa so that organizations can learn from the successes and difficulties of each others activities.

One of the highlights of this exchange visit was a public forum on issues of human settlements with representatives from NGOS, CBOS, academic institutions, grassroots organisations, and housing co-operatives. The forum panel consisted of Jerry Eldridge, Tabitha Siwale (Chief Executive of WAT and Secretary of HIC-WAS), and Barry Pinsky a former HIC Board Member from Rooftops in Canada. The purpose of the forum was to exchange experiences of human settlements development within the reality of South Africa and Tanzania. Each panel member gave a brief introduction of their organisations and the work they are involved in and then opened the
floor for questions. Many interesting questions were raised and information and experiences were shared. Some of the issues raised included; how to create a savings culture in African countries so that low-income families can acquire funds to build adequate shelter, a comparison of the experience of housing co-operative development in Canada, South Africa, and Tanzania, and strategies for poverty alleviation.

Participants raised the issue of the difficulty of acquiring adequate shelter because there is little or no government support to these organisations in African countries. For example, in Tanzania, the Housing Bank which used to provide loans for housing collapsed in July of 1995. Since then there has been no support to groups trying to     acquire shelter. They must work very hard to save the required funds with no government assistance. For those organisations who are working to support low income communities in obtaining adequate shelter, it is always a struggle to create a successful balance between the necessity of meeting the immediate needs of the community
(housing, education, food, etc.) and of empowering groups so that they can act as effective activists and lobby their governments for their rights. First we must build people before we build houses.

Together We Are Strong!
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Status of Women Regarding Land Rights: From a HIC-WAS Report for the Commission on the Status of Women Meeting

Extracted from a Report by Zarina Ishani, Mazingira Institute

The Issues

Women in Africa do not own and inherit land and property because of deeply entrenched patriarchal traditions and values although statutory laws do not discriminate against women's ownership of land and property. As African societies move into the cash economy, young women are denied access to inherited capital that their brothers have. Widows are frequently evicted from their homes, their property grabbed and sometimes children taken by the in-laws. Thus they do not have access to inherited capital and have no means to secure credit for uplifting
their economic status.
 

Laws pertaining to land, property and inheritance with reference to women’s rights

Uganda: The new Ugandan Land Act was passed in 1998 with considerable lobbing from women parliamentarians who had been sensitized by NGOs through workshops and seminars. Under this Act, Customary laws pertaining to rights of women are now groundless and it recognizes the equal right of women to own land and property. Any family owned land cannot be disposed of without the consent of both spouses.

However, some loopholes still exist which can allow inequities to continue. For example, in the case of intestacy 75% of the land goes to the children. If the children have reached the age of majority, then the consent of children is required for the wife to continue using the land. If they are minors, the permission of Local councillors is required. This means that if there is no will, then there is a possibility that the woman can be dispossessed of her land. Furthermore the Act does not specify the rights of women in the situation where a man has multiple wives or if the man and woman were living together, but not legally married. Muslim women also face some difficulty as their marriage falls under Sheria Law which considers women minors.

Kenya: In 1954, the Swynnerton Plan advocated land adjudication, consolidation, and registration which is still in effect today. In most cases, the land title deed is in the name of a man (husband, male child, or relative) and women's user rights are much lower than under traditional land tenure systems. In Kenya women supply 75% of the agricultural production, form 96% of the agricultural labour force, earn 60% of the farm income and own only
1% of the land. Thus they lack capital, skills and other resource to break out of the cycle of poverty.

In Kenya the statutory law is English Common law, which gives women the right to separately own land and property, however this is not always the reality. Customary Laws are patriarchal and leave women out of inheritance at birth and widowhood. Customary Law does not allow a woman to own property during her marriage, she can use property, such as land, if it is registered but cannot own it.

Mozambique: All land in Mozambique is State land and people have user rights but cannot sell the land. Inheritance laws are based on old colonial laws and do not favour women. The Succession Act says that a man's parents have the first right to the land, if they are not alive, the land then goes to his children. If there are no children, then it is the brothers who inherit. The wife is the last one in the line of succession and the probability of the woman getting access to her husband's land after his death is very low or none at all. A reform process to change the constitution and new land laws is underway.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe operates a dual legal system in which customary law operates with general law. The content and practice of customary law is inherently discriminatory against women especially in the area of family law. It gives male heirs the right to own land and property. Females can own land in cases of intestacy only when there are no male heirs.

Act 1 9/82 on Immovable Property prohibits discrimination in the sale, letting or use of immoveable property on grounds of sex. However this does not operate in the case of communally owned land, which refers to custom and tradition and thus discriminates against women.

Tanzania: Two new Land Laws were enacted in January of 1999. These were the Village Land Act and the Land Act. Under the two Acts, women obtain the right to acquire, hold, use and deal with land the same as men. Furthermore, under the Village Land Act, any rule of customary tenure shall be void if it denies women, children, or persons with disability lawful access to ownership, occupation, or use of any such land. Although this Act was passed in 1999, it is not yet gazetted and there are still many processes to occur before change in women's land tenure is achieved at the community level.

South Africa: In 1998 the South African National Assembly adopted three new justice bills that aim to enhance the status of women. The Recognition of Customary Marriages Bill seeks to create a uniform code of marriage law for the entire country. This means that women in customary marriage will enjoy the constitutional right to equality, particularly in the arenas of age, consent, divorce and property. The new Bill also makes provision for recognition and registration of polygamous marriages. This will benefit women because when a husband wants to marry someone else, he will have to apply to the courts for reassessment of the property rights in his new, expanded family. The court's duty is to ensure that neither the woman nor her children are materially prejudiced.
 

HIC-WAS members’ activities to increase women's access to land

To tackle some of these land issue, the HIC-WAS network has applied various methods. These range f rom working with women at grassroots level to creating awareness and putting pressure on governments. Here are examples in three countries of how HIC-WAS members are dealing with these issues.

Kenya: Mazingira Institute works at national, regional, and international levels. It has adopted several techniques in order to confront the problem, namely by building capacity in the region through a network called 'Settlements Information Network Africa (SINA)", through study visits and internship programs, by being actively involved at the national level in the constitutional review process, and by educating people on their rights and ensuring that the law prevails in the cases of land grabbing. Another technique is by using operation Filimbi to fight against land grabbing.

Uganda: Uganda Gender Resource Centre hosted two study visits for participants from Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania,Kenya, and Zambia to learn about mainstreaming gender into land policies. The five-day visits were aimed at exposing the participants to the paralegal training programs in Uganda. A one-day workshop with NGOs involved in land and inheritance issues was held in Kampala at the end of the visit to evaluate the programs and discuss follow-up strategies.

Uganda Gender Resource Centre also hosts an internship program in which interns stay in Uganda for two months to study all the programs of UGRC. The interns learn how paralegals handle cases at the community level, how to interact with communities, parliamentarians, and government officials, and how to mobilize communities to develop gender sensitive policies and practices. It is interesting to note that 95% of the paralegal cases relate to issues of land and property. The objective of the internship program is for participants to start similar programs in the respective NGOs modified to suit their needs.

Tanzania: Women Advancement Trust has played an active role in lobbying for the new Land Acts of 1999 which clearly denounces the existing laws that discriminate women's access to land.  The Acts are a result of lobbying and advocacy activities done by WAT in partnership with other civil societies to persuade the policy makers on the need to change the law so that it caters equally to the whole society particularly by giving equal rights of access to land for women. Since September, 1999 WAT has been leading an awareness creation campaign on women's equal rights to land as stipulated in the new Lands Act of 1999 at the grassroots level. The campaign has been targeting various leaders at district level who have been working closely with the community. These leaders include Community Development Workers, Councillors, Land Officers, Women's group leaders, Religious leaders, Village and Traditional leaders.

For more information contact:

Zarina Ishani
Mazingira Institute
P.O. Box 14550, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254 2 4432229/19/26
Fax: 254 2 444643
mazinst@healthnet.or.ke
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Update on HIC-LAC’s Activities

By Ana Falú, GEM

The Women and Shelter network of Latin America is working very hard in several countries to follow up the Beijing and Istanbul processes. Besides having a regional coordinator for the Beijing + 5, the process is more decentralized, with a variety of initiatives planned in each country and at the regional and sub-regional levels.

The Women and Shelter Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (WAS-LAC) has Initiative Centres in 17 countries which are very active. We are in the process of following-up on the local authorities' commitments made at Beijing and Istanbul.

In Mexico, our Initiative Centre is participating in the Beijing + 5 and particularly in the Istanbul + 5 process. Other countries as well, such as, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Paraguay, and Brazil are also participating in the process. We are still waiting for more information from the other centres in the rest of the member countries.

A project is being implemented in the MERCOSUR countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) includes developing methods to follow-up information on grassroots organisations, women who are community leaders, politicians, etc. We are also developing an interactive Web page which will be updated each year and we hope to continue the work after Beijing + 5 and Istanbul + 5.

Many of our member countries were also involved in the ECLAC meeting which was our subregional meeting before the CSW and Beijing + 5. This meeting was important because it enabled us to have a stronger dialogue with our institutions and government representatives. It was held in Lima, Peru in February, 2000 and the WAS-LAC Network played an active role.

Other important meetings were held throughout the region. Last October, in Uruguay, the MERCOSUR countries met and our Network was present to introduce the WASLAC strategies and initiatives. Also in Uruguay, the WASLAC network co-organized Habitat Day activities in which gender issues were incorporated. In Chile, a workshop was implemented and organised together with REPEM (Red de Educacion Popular entre Mujeres).

We also had active participation in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in the MERCOCITIES Government meeting in which we achieved an agreement of co-operation to assure the presence of gender sensitive public policies at the level of municipal governments. This was a very important step in achieved 'partnership' for action.

We have also been involved in the development of a CD- ROM which was first distributed during the V Mercocities Summit in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The CD ROM includes all the information which was created in Spanish and Portuguese, including:
 

• Statistical Data on the five countries: on political participation, gender policies state machinery in each country, poverty, education, health, employment, and key issues needed for the CBOs and NGOs (as well as for political    leaders in local government) to put pressure on authorities, to elaborate arguments, to elaborate proposals, and to lobby. Elaborated under the coordination of the Women & Habitat Reference Centre by the consultant Marta Coelho.
• A guide for the formulation and application of local government gender policies.
• International documents and tools which mainly include the documents and Platforms of Actions emerging from the UN Conferences, Declaration of IULA, Letter of European Women, among others

We will keep in contact with any further information.
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What Next? WAT’s Work After the New Land Laws

by Lucy Tesha, WAT

At last Tanzanian women have something to celebrate now that Parliament passed new Land Laws in February 1999. The laws recognise women's right to land ownership.

"This is a gender friendly land law," says Tumaini Silaa, chairperson of the Gender Land Task Force (GLTF), a
coalition of a number of civil society groups including non-governmental and non-profit organisations in the country.  The law is the result of the GLTF's lobbying and advocacy campaigns.

One of the most important provisions made by the new land law is that a wife and dependents must first be informed and then approve of their husband's decision to mortgage, lease or dispute the land.

The new law also gives equal representation to women on the land committees that settle land dispute cases. The presence of women will ensure equal treatment of cases which are related to land rights among men and women.

In Tanzania, as in many African societies, the issue of women and land tenure touches traditions and customary laws which have historically created a barrier for women to have equal access to land, property ownership and inheritance. The new Land law has declared any rule of customary law that denies women the right to use, transfer and own land to be null and void.

Therefore women in the rural areas, which are often governed by customary laws, have the same rights to acquire and register land as men.

Despite the fact that there is awareness creation on women rights to land ownership, many women find it difficult to solve their land-related problems. Marura Godi, a mother of six children narrates; 'I separated from my husband for 22 months now after our 20 years of traditional marriage. He has not given anything for my survival although I am aware that I have the right to get share from our properties we have. I do not know where to start..."

Semeni Juma, a widow with four children expresses her concern, "Although NGOs disseminate information on women and their right to own land, we face the challenge of where we can forward our problems..."

Women Advancement Trust (WAT) agrees with Marura and Semeni that as people become educated on their rights, they will need somewhere to discuss their problems. Therefore, WAT, like a few other NGOs in the country, intends to train paralegals at the grassroots level in regions where awareness creation campaigns on women's right to own land are conducted.

Chief Executive of WAT Tabitha Siwale says, "As our campaign focuses on the grassroots (rural) areas, it is clear that women, of whom 85 per cent live in rural areas, will benefit from paralegals". WAT sees paralegal training as an advanced stage of their ongoing land rights education campaign. According to WAT, paralegals are not necessarily people working in community law settings. They can be other NGO workers, teachers, volunteers who can act as resources in their communities. An average of 80 paralegals will be trained by WAT by the
end of 2001. WAT intends to solicit more funds to train more paralegals as the current number does not satisfy the demand.

The establishment of paralegals as an alternative way of promoting community outreach started about five years ago in the country. Currently, most of paralegals are urban centred.

According to Jane Magigita, head of paralegal department with Women's Legal Aid Centre based in Dar Es Salaam, "Paralegals have been very effective in raising legal rights and counselling in the areas where they are located. They have been able to decentralise judiciary powers, handling cases in easier ways through the law which govern the country. These have made people able to govern themselves, identify out-dated taboos and discourage them at the family level."

She adds that most of their clients are women who have faced various legal problems, including being denied basic rights such as the right to access and own land and property, inheritance, marriage, custody of children and others.

For more information contact:

Lucy Tesha
Women Advancement Trust
P.O. Box 5914
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: 255-51-667091
Fax: 255-51-75363
E-mail: wat@.ud.co.tz
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The Link Between Cairo’s Waste and Urban Resettlement Plans for the Zabbaleen of Cairo

By Iskandar Kamel, Community and Insitutional Development (C.I.D.)

This article examines the strong interconnections between how a city's urban resettlement plans affect the service it receives in the area of its solid waste with specific reference to the
Zabbaleen garbage collectors of Cairo.

When the Zabbaleen first came to Cairo they lived close to the neighbourhoods in which they collected garbage. As the city grew, they were moved out to the edges. They have living memories of the horror of evictions and a city that never regarded their work as valuable. In 1974, they settled deep in the 'belly' of the Mokattam in order to avoid further eviction. Nevertheless, they still continue to serve the city despite unrenumerated labour, difficult and unhealthy working conditions, and harsh living conditions far from work and without adequate
water and infrastructure.

In the late seventies and early eighties community-based organizations were registered in Mokattam to improve infrastructure. A water and wastewater system was installed, roads were paved, schools were built, micro-enterprise recycling industries were launched, health programs wereimplemented, income generating projects for girls and women were implemented, day care centres cropped up in the neighbourhood.

Much improved for the residents but a number of serious, negative conditions prevailed: garbage still arrived in the neighbourhoods unsorted, what was not fit for recovery and trade was left on the streets to rot or burn, women and adolescent girls still sorted rotting filth manually. Health hazards from broken glass, infections from syringes and sharp metal still occurred.

In 1984 the Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.) launched a compost program to rid themselves of the manure from the pigs they were raising. The profit was used to start micro-enterprise recycling programs. In 1986, the Association of Garbage Collectors for Community Development (AGCCD) launched other recycling microenterprise programs. Many of the Zabbaleen phased out their pig breeding activities and converted to informal sector workshops recycling nonorganic waste. This has made Mokattam the major trading centre for plastic,paper, cardboard, metal and others.

Thus the livelihood of the community improved drastically, but living conditions did not improve by the same quantum leap.

The two community development associations in Mokattam played a major role in upgrading the solid waste system conducted by the Zabbaleen, and in improving their living conditions and their livelihood. They each partnered with the community to deliver different community based development inputs, such as: credit, income generation, health, literacy, training, institutional building, women's empowerment, family planning, improved technology, advocacy, etc.

In 1994 A.P.E. branched out into Tora and mobilized the Mokattam youth to initiate urban upgrading and development activities in a neighbourhoods similar to theirs. They were now the experts who would become the catalysts for the empowerment of their social group.

In 1998 A.P.E. moved its composting plant to Qattamiya as the urban environment in Mokattam and Manchiyet Nasser had become densely built up and populated. This meant the removal of their garbage sorting and pig raising activities from Tora to Qattamiya. This was 19 kilometres more of time, fuel, truck depletion, and labour. A hike in fees was proposed and accepted by the Tora Zabbaleen to cover additional costs, however they were counting on making up the difference from revenues from pig breeding.

With each plan to move the Zabbaleen activities further out of the cities, the risk of poor service increases, either because of the increased costs to the Zabbaleen or because inexperienced private sector companies will begin to collect waste. The implementation of such a plan in Mokattam would have even more adverse ramifications than Tora, as the microenterprise workshops are deeply entrenched as an established industry. They employ all the youths in the neighbourhood, and Mokattam has now become a neighbourhood in its own right, not just a 'settlement' of garbage collectors.

It would seem that a vision of integrated urban upgrading needs to be developed. One that would institute a plan similar to the one implemented in Ezbet Bekhit, where no one will be asked to leave the neighbourhood to practice their trade elsewhere but where infrastructure and neighbourhood upgrading really takes place.

This plan would include upgrading working conditions by updating microenterprise workshops, acquiring new appropriate technology to convert people from negative recycling practices, and an at-source separation scheme in which the organic material will be sent directly to a composting plant. Another key component of the plan would be to formalize the Zabbaleen so that as Egyptian municipalities follow the new trend of instituting a public-private partnership for garbage collection , the Zabbaleen will be able to compete with the private companies. This can happen by teaching them how to enter this new competitive bidding process, building on local experience in implementing at-source garbage separation schemes, analyzing the cost-recovery issues and connect them to the fee-for-service issue, and collecting fees from Egyptians in ways that do not leave them a choice to pay or not to pay.

And most importantly, this plan will involve the justice the Zabbaleeri have never experienced thus far: land rights and ownership of their homes. After forty years of being evicted and thrashed around by the city, but never failing to serve it, this is the least that the city owes them.

For more information contact:

Laila lskandar Kamel
Community and Institutional Development (C.I.D.)
11 El Gabalaya Str.,3rd Fl., Suite 9
Zamalek, 11211, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: +20-2-3320832
Fax: +20-2-3402660
E-mail: cid@intouch.com
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Land Rights for Girls in Rwanda

From UNIFEM Currents

New legislation enacted by the government of Rwanda will now allow girls to inherit land and other properties. Previously under Rwandan law and tradition, women and girls did not have the right to inherit land. Instead, it was expected that they would enjoy the benefits of communal property which was infact owned by their husbands or fathers. The new legislation specifies that "all legitimate children (of the deceased) in accordance with civil laws inherit in equal parts without any discrimination between male and female children".

UNIFEM has been involved in this process for several years through a media campaign on Rwandese women’s land rights in 1997, supporting a land rights conference in Rwanda, and through the creation of a gender desk in the Rwandese Parliament that facilitated the passage of the bill.
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Youth Make Alternative Roofing Materials

By Agnes K. Ponera, Building Research Unit (BRU)

Iringa region in Tazania is an area in which there is a lot of construction activity. Located in the Southern Highlands, lringa has very cold weather compared to other regions, some parts even have snowy winters! There are five districts in lringa including; Iringa (municipality and rural), Mufindi, Njombe, Makets, and Ludewa.

As part of a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) studies done by the Building Research Unit (BRU) of Dar es Salaam, the author visited Ihemi vllage, lringa Region. Ihemi village is located along the Zambia Tanzania highway In this village, the rate of construction is increasing rapidly and it is very impressive and encouraging.

As part of the study, the author identified a youth group known as the Vigae Youth Group which produces sand cement roof tiles. The group was established in 1994 after one of the members, who since has become the leader, Aloyce Chawalla returned from a training course he attended at Mwanza Rural Housing Programme (MRHP). During the training course Aloyce said he was taught how to produce several building materials one of which was sand cement roofing tiles.

Knowing the problem of his home region, Aloyce concentrated on learning how to produce roofing tiles and was also eager to learn how to make the vibrating machine itself which produces the tiles. Due to shortage of time, Aloyce was not able to learn how to make the machine. However with his creativity and determination he was able to make a small manual tile vibrating machine which the youth group uses to produce tiles. Aloyce was also able to produce molds for the tile vibrating machine.

Aloyce then established the Vigae Youth Group which is composed of five members, four men and one woman. It is very encouraging to see that even in the villages people are challenging gender stereotypes and have realized that women are equally capable of doing construction work. It is not as it used to be when women would only cook for the men who are building or drawing water to use for construction. Instead of assisting men in construction, this admirable young woman participates fully in the real production of roofing tiles.

The creation of this construction group has reduced the problem of roofing material in Ihemi village. Though some find the tiles equally expensive, according to the Vigae Group they are affordable. Aloyce said that for an area covered by the GCI sheet there is a saving of about TSH 1000 ($1.25 US) if sand cement tiles are used instead. This saving is also due to the fact that when the group purchases their materials they get a discount. The group normally prefers to carry out the roofing themselves once they have sold the tiles to somebody.

At the time of the author's visit there were a lot of tiles stacked outside for the purpose of curing them. These tiles were produced on request by orders from customers. Due to their successes, the Vigae group has secured a loan from the local government to enable them to carry out their duties. When asked about their problems they had in carrying out their duties they said that lack of funds was their major problem. The group is very active and with assistance can perform wonders. The group is also very busy in preparing a dam with the intention of rain water harvesting.

For more information contact:

Agnes K. Ponera
Building Research Unit
P.O. Box 1964
Tel: 255-51-74003
Fax: 255-51-71971
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
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From Knowledge to Politics: Shelter Politics from a Gender Perspective

By Charma Furma, Unidad de Vivienda, Uruguay

From Knowledge to Politics: Shelter Politics from a Gender Perspective. This was the name of the seminar organized in September of 1999 by the HIC-WAS Initiative Centre in our country (Uruguay), Unidad de Vivienda de la Facultad De Arquitectura. The purpose of this seminar was to educate women politicians, working in different govern ment organisations, about the theories that have emerged through research and hands-on work in the housing sector which take into account the specific needs of women, their actual possibilities of accessing adequate shelter, and their dreams.

At the seminar we realized the extent of the collective and individual growth of these women who have been organizing for shelter. These were women who we advised on construction works, technical equipment and decision-making, and who, because they participated in all the stages of their shelter development from before, during and after construction, were living in homes obtained by their own efforts and perseverance.

Women representatives of three cooperatives, one completed and inhabited, another under construction, and the third in the planning stage, shared their experiences in the seminar.

We had the participation of the Gender Advisor of the Ministry of Housing of Chile who shared her experience of how they are integrating this issue in the Public Policy of her country.

Lucy Larrosa, the President of the Local Parliament of the Department of Cerro Largo, one of our zones that is far away from the capital, also attended this seminar. Her enthusiasm, and that of her colleague, Martha Marchese, inspired us to organize another seminar entitled "Reflections and Actions of Women Organizing for Shelter" which was held this past November in Melo.

Melo is the capital of the zone, it is small, with a populatior, of 30,000 people, nevertheless, more than 60 women and some men attended the seminar. As a result of this event, 50 women are organizing themselves into two co-operatives to begin the process of finding a housing solution. These groups have the support of the local authorities and the advice of IVIM (The Institute of Housing for Women).

The conclusions of both seminars were distributed to social activists who are involved with shelter issues, and especially to women who are involved with the Network of Women Politicians, in which women from all political parties and varying ideologies are members.

While seminars have been educating people on the theoretical aspects of women and shelter issues, many women 's groups in Uruguay have been successfully organizing to acquire adequate shelter. MUJEFA, our first co-operative which integrated a gender perspective, is organized exclusively by women head-of-households. Members of MUJEFA have been living for almost three years in their new homes where they are the sole owners.

Also, IVIM is acting as an advisor to three new women's co-operatives in Montevideo. The members include single women, women with children, and some couples. The municipality negotiated for a good plot of land located in the Old City with a beautiful view of the port and of the hill of Montevideo for the fifty women of the three cooperatives.

Together with IVIM and our own NGO, the Unidad de Vivienda de la Facultad de Arquitectura, we are continuing to contribute knowledge to the political issues of gender and habitat.

We are participating in this work with much enthusiasm, and we are proving the viability of our work through the success we have achieved and the recognition we have obtained at both national and international levels.

For more information contact:

Charma Furman
Unidad de Vivienda
Faculdad de Arquitecture
Br. Artigas 1031-11200
Montovideo, Uruguay
Tel: 598-2-401 106
Fax: 598-2-406063
E-mail: chfurman@farq.edu.uy
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Women Plan Toronto

by Gaye Alexander

On January 15, 2000 Women Plan Toronto, the Metro Action Committee (on safety in the City) collaborated with the City Planning Department to present a seminar for the public specifically aimed at giving interested women an opportunity to get information about and participate in the community consultation around the development of Toronto's new Official Plan (OP).

Barbara Hall, former Mayor of Toronto and Pam McConnell, a City Councillor, gave inspiring overviews and reminisced about their experiences of the City over several decades, the changes they have seen, and the differences that citizen input has made to the City's development and change for the better. Barbara commented that the new City is far too big, that the old City of Toronto had a culture of community participation that the other amalgamated municipalities did not. While there may be some hope for public participation, consultations with elite groups is not public participation. Community meetings are happening, but without politicians present, especially from higher levels of government. The number of City Councillors is being reduced again; support services are being cut. For example, formerly free City Parks and Recreation programs are now fee-based. If people can't afford to sign up the programs are cancelled. All of this affects the quality of safety, health and livability in the city. It is important how the city uses its green spaces, former industrial spaces, and encourages
life on its streets. Planners must be aware of and open to the possibilities and input from a variety of groups and individuals.

Pam McConnell reminded us that we know what's needed by living and walking around in the City. We need to decide what's worth fighting for and make our voices heard!

Much of the concern arises from the fact that there are seven very different OP from individual municipalities before they were amalgamated into the 'MegaCity' of Toronto in 1997. These OPs say what is, not what should be. Currently there is an OP team from each of the former municipalities who have used a variety of means for public consultation. Key community contacts have been from sectoral, heritage and issue groups.

Groups site the lack of affordable housing as a big issue. The majority of City residents pay 30% of their income in rent. Twenty-five percent pay 50% of their income in rent. In 1 998, there was a total of 100 housing units built in Toronto! The City must exhaust its own resources before going to the provincial/federal levels. The private sector has never built rental housing without government assistance. Residents are turning over, there is rapid change and Toronto receives 30% of Canada's immigrants.

The City planners spoke about the process being proposed for the development of the Official Plan, and the points where input from the community is being sought. Small discussion groups formulated ideas for action around the issues raised, with several people making initial commitments to participate and strive to bring more women and womens' concerns in to the process. It was everyone's hope that the new official plan for the new City will reflect the input and the needs of women.
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Homelessness: A Global Concern

with information provided by by Pam Sayne

In 1998 in Toronto, Canada, the local government released a Homelessness Action Task Force Report outlining the state of homelessness in the city. As a result, a committee composed of the city's academics and front line workers came together and called itself the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee which declared homelessness a national disaster and proposed a solution to end both local and national homelessness. One year after this declaration, not much change has occurred and homelessness is still a serious issue in Toronto, North America, and the rest of the world. In the following excerpt from her letter, Pam Sayne from WoPHE, Canada comments on the growing problem of homelessness.

'On an international perspective homelessness s a growing problem in all global regions. Women's rights to secure affordable housing differs in different regions and countries but also within the country. As well, the factors of homeless women, men and children differs in different regions, countries and rural and urban areas. It is historically important and necessary but not complete to use analysis which distinguish North and South countries. Developed countries have not demonstrated the solutions to homelessness. They have only demonstrated more control of global resources. Women from all global regions must share their experiences to develop equitable and sustainable solutions.

There is a 'North' in the 'South' and a 'South' in the 'North'. The Women and Shelter Network is a tool that can be usedto distinguish what policies and programs promote only a 'lip service industry' addressing homelessness from effective policies and programs which address the systemic causes of homelessness and actually decrease the rise in homeless populations.

For more information contact:

Pam Sayne
WOPHE – Women’s Perspectives on Housing and the Environment
RR#l, Norland
Ontario, KOM 2LO Canada
Tel: 1-705-454-9084
Fax: 1-705-454-9792 or 1-705-454-9384
E-mail: sayne@interhop.net
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ASIA

Letter from YUVA, India

by Lysa, YUVA, India

Greetings from YUVA! Women & Shelter is an area that we at YUVA, India are keenly interested in developing, especially in terms of consolidation and articulation of its various aspects in promoting habitat and housing rights from the gender perspective.

At this point of time I can see two areas of our work which could be of interest to HIC-WAS members. One, a network for budget-activism, i.e. grassroots NGOs who have come together to form a national advocacy network in India, People's BIAS, is undertaking an exercise of interpreting the national budgets - which are to be released in March - from the people's perspective. This includes a financial as well as sectoral analysis. We could send excerpts of the analysis, especially with relevance to the Women & Shelter Network.

Secondly, YUVA itself is undertaking certain community processes focusing on the issues of women and forced eviction. This is scheduled for initiation in March.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

In solidarity,

Lysa - on behalf of – YUVA
(Mumbai, India)

For more information contact:

YUVA
8, Cr. Fl 33/L Mhatre Building,
Mugbhot Cross Lane
400 004 Bombay, India
Tel: 022-3889811
Fax: 022-3853139
yuva@vsln.com
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Calendar of Events

15 - 20 May, 2000
People's Assembly
Africities-Windhoek,Namibia

The Africities summit is a meeting that takes place biannually among the major cities on the continent. The HIC Secretariat, together with Namibian Housing Action Group, will host a People's Assembly as part of the Africities Summit. The aims are to bring together community groups from various African Cities to share experiences and ideas and to initiate networks among groups with similar interests and agendas.

Contact:
HIC Secretariat,
P.O. Box 34519
Groote Schuur, 7937
Tel: 27 21 696 2205
Fax: 27 21 696 2203
email: hic@mweb.co.za

4-6 July, 2000
URBAN 21
Berlin, Germany

The Global Conference on the Urban Future will include a reception organized by the National Round Table of Women Planners for Sustainable
Urban Development and Gendered Cities.

Contact:
Dr. Stefan Schmitz,
Bureau URBAN 21,
Am Michaelshof 8,
D-53177 Bonn, Germany,
Tel: +49 l888 / 401-2233,
Fax: +49 1888 / 401-2315,
E-mail: schmitz@urban2l.de,
www.urban2l.de

Upcoming UN Conferences

May 8-13 2000

Istanbul +5 Prepcom, Nairobi. This is the Preporatory Committee meeting for the Istanbul + 5 process. For information on HIC-WAS involvement, please contact Lucy Tesha at wat@ud.co.tz

Contact:
axumite.gebre-ziabher@unchs.org
Website: www.istanbul5.org

June 6-9, 2000

Women 2000 Special Session of the General Assembly, New York Session to appraise and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, five years after its adoption.

Contact:
Division for the Advancement of Women,
2 UN Plaza, United Nations,
New York, NY, USA
Fax: (212) 963-3462, daw@un.org.

Contact for Huairou:
huairou@aol.com
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On the Net …

http://alainet.org/
Latin America in Movement – This website has a women's program page in english and spanish.

http://flame.org/
Flame is a network of African sisters online committed to strengthening the capacity of women through the use of ICTs to lobby, advocate and participate in the Beijing + 5 process regionally and globally.

www.iiav.nl/european-womenaction-2000
European Women in Action for 2000 website will provide European women's organizations with a platform for strategizing around the Beijing Platform of Action review process. The website is hosted and managed by the International Archives of the Women's Movement.

www.wide.org
The WIDE Women's Initiative seeks to increase the visibility and participation of women from developing countries in technical (and other) cooperation among developing countries.

www.undp.org/unifem/beijing+5/genderonagenda
Gender on the Agenda: To assist NGOs participating in the Beijing + 5 review process, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the United Nations NonGovernmental Liaison Service (UNNGLS) have put together an excellent online publication with key information on how five-year reviews are organized as inter-governmental assessment processes, the various mechanisms and preparatory processes that may lead to a five-year review, and ideas on how both nongovernmental and governmental participants may enhance their participation.

www.womenink.org
This is the website for Women, Ink., which produces a regular catalogue on resources relating to issues of women and development. Use this website to see their on-line catagolue. They also list publishing companies that donate free or reduced cost resources to organizations in the South.

www.chasque.apc.org/lola
At this website you can access Lola press on the internet. Lola is a magazine which focusses on women and development issues. It is published in both English and Spanish.

www.unifem.undp.org/resour.htm
Targets and Indicators: Selections from Progress of the World's Women can be found on the UNIFEM internet site and is available for download as a PDF file.
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Building Safer Urban Environments: The Way Forward, The Building and Social Housing Foundation

This report summarises the main ideas arising as a result of a consultation at St. George's House, Windsor Castle and provides a clear and practical summary of possible future directions in making urban areas safer places in which to live and work. The report contains sections on the Challenge of Building Safer Urban Environments, Directions for Change, Sources of Further Information and a clear and simple Agenda for Action that sets out new ideas and approaches to improving safety in urban areas. The report highlights the fact that the issue of safety cannot be reduced to simply one of enforcing law and order and that it needs to be approached from a much broader perspective. 1999. 32 Pages.

Available from Ms. Diane Diacon, Building and Social Housing Foundation, Memorial Square, Coalville,
Leicestershire, LE67 3TU, United Kingdom, £5.00 plus p/p.
 

1999 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: Globalization, Gender and Work, United Nations

This much awaited world survey prepared by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, explores the positive
and negative economic effects of globalization. Three trends that it describes are: trade liberalization and expansion; the spread of production capacity through direct investment by multinationals; and the increased international mobility of capital. Taking into consideration the mixed effects of globalization on women, the survey provides suggestions for developing gender aware policies at the national and international levels. This survey also serves as a basic document for the Special Session of the General Assembly, 'Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century' (June 2000) and is invaluable to anyone involved in the Beijing + 5 process. 1999. 76 Pages.

Available from Women, Ink., 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA, E-mail: wink@igc.org, US$14.95
 

The Busy Woman's Guide to the Internet: Activism and Research Online, Kelly Mannix

This handy little guide is packed with information for women activists to get started on the Internet. For those who are unfamiliar with the power of online communication, this guide is a useful teaching tool on the internet community, with information on creating and getting on listserves, newsgroups, search engines and selecting the right Internet Service Provider. It also provides a brief glossary of common Internet terms and a directory of various women's organizations available online. 1999. 80 Pages.

Available from Women, Ink., 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA, E-mail: wink@igc.org, US$6.00
 

International Co-operative for Habitat and Urban Development: Directory of NGO's in OECD countries, OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

Available from OECD, 20 rue Des Grands, Augustine, 75006, Paris, France
 

Rights of Women: A Guide to the Most Important UN Treaties on Women's Human Rights, International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC)

Written in simple non-legal language, this book provides a comprehensive review of women's human rights as defined by the most important United Nations Human Rights Treaties. The book looks at each right, describing the relevant conventions, and includes effective strategies for using international law to improve women's human rights. The manual also supplies a list of women's human rights resources. 1998. 144 Pages.

Available from IWTC 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA,

US$15.95. Free to organizations in the South.
 

Beyond Credit: A Subsector Approach to Promoting Women’s Enterprise, Martha Chen (Ed.)

Beyond Credit introduces participatory subsector analysis as an effective approach to promoting women's enterprises, identifying new and growth sectors of economic activity to help ensure that poor women are appropriately trained. Includes case studies from Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Ghana, Chile, the Philippines and Canada. 1996. 151 Pages.

Available from the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, 350 Rue Albert St., Suits 1820, Ottawa, Ontario, KlR lA4, Canada, US$19.95. Available free for organizations in the South.
 

Equal Democracies? Gender and Politics in the Nordic Countries, Christina Bergqvist (Ed.)

Representations of the Nordic countries, often conjure up an image of homogeneity within the region which is noted, among other things, for the central position of social democracy and extensive equality between the sexes. This books sets out to reexamine this conception by posing two fundamental questions: how equal are women and men in the Nordic countries? And, how homogeneous are the Nordic Countries? 2000. 328 Pages.

Available from Stationery Office, P.O. Box 276, GB London Sw8 5DT.
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