একটি বিদ্রূপাত্মক কিন্তু বিনোদনমূলক ভিডিও থেকে বুঝা যায় কিভাবে একজন আন্তর্জাতিক সাহায্য কর্মী এবং একটি আফ্রিকান গ্রামবাসীর কাছে দরিদ্রের সংজ্ঞা ভিন্ন হতে পারে। যদিও এই ভিডিওটি কিছুটা গতানুগতিক এবং ক্ষতিকারক, এটি পরিষ্কারভাবে দেখায় যে কখনও কখনও ঘটনা এবং পরিসংখ্যান ভুলে, দারিদ্র্য দূরীকরণ এবং উন্নয়ন আসল লক্ষ্য স্মরণ করা প্রয়োজন। বাংলাদেশে ২৫ লক্ষ চরম দরিদ্র আছে, যার একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অংশ ঢাকা শহরে বাস করে। কিন্তু, তাদের স্বতন্ত্র চাহিদা সংক্রান্ত কোন ব্যপক গবেষণা এখনো হয় নি। দরিদ্র আখ্যান প্রায়ই গতানুগতিক ও ভুল ভাবে উপস্থাপিত এবং তাই, দারিদ্র দূরীকরণে দরিদ্রদের নিজস্ব গল্প শোনা অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। আর তাই, দারিদ্র্য দূরীকরণের জন্য চিন্তাধারা “হস্তক্ষেপ” থেকে “সহযোগিতা”য় পরিবর্তন করতে হবে। Read more or discuss.
A satirical yet entertaining video shows how an international aid worker and an African villager disagree on what it means to be poor. Though this video is to an extent stereotypical and exaggerated, it depicts clearly that facts and statistics should be used cautiously, and the real target of poverty eradication should be kept in mind. There are 25 million extreme poor in Bangladesh, a significant proportion of whom live in Dhaka city. However, there has been no comprehensive study of their individual needs. The narrative of the poor is often stereotyped and misrepresented and it is therefore vital that the voice of the poor be heard. The buzzword in poverty eradication must change from “intervention” to “cooperation.” Read more or discuss.
Submitted by Editor — Mon, 04/15/2013 – 00:00
Event: Transforming Local Government Conference 2013
10–12 April 2013 
Atlanta, Georgia
Can you imagine what the future holds for local government? While it’s hard to gain full insight into the future, what we do know is that local communities are changing. This change is happening as a result of demographic swings, economics, and shifts in the political landscape. Success into the future for a local government organization will be defined by an ability to adapt, learn and foster creative ideas to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Through innovative case study sessions, conference attendees will take an in-depth look at the ingenuity and creativity of successful government programs. During provocative keynote sessions, you’ll be inspired to tap into new energy and a sense of reinforced commitment to your work. Learn more.
Event: Forum mondial de la démocratie
27–29 novembre 2013 Strasbourg, France
Le manque de participation démocratique est le symptôme du découplage entre les citoyens et les institutions. Les médias et réseaux sociaux permettent aux responsables politiques et aux militants d’être en prise directe avec le public, à tout moment et en tout lieu. Ils favorisent l’émergence d’une multitude de communautés d’intérêts, mais peinent à s’imposer comme le lieu d’un vaste débat démocratique. Ils ont alimenté des révolutions démocratiques et des mouvements citoyens de protestation, mais peuvent-ils réellement contribuer à consolider la démocratie représentative et la gouvernance au quotidien ?
L’édition 2013 du Forum mondial de la démocratie à Strasbourg s’intéressera au thème de la participation démocratique en adoptant une démarche dite appréciative : au lieu de se focaliser sur les problèmes, si vastes et complexes qu’ils peuvent paraître insurmontables, le but est de présenter des initiatives, des expériences et des idées qui proposent des réponses et une voie à suivre. S’intéresser aux solutions plutôt qu’aux problèmes est un moyen de stimuler la créativité et l’imagination et de mobiliser les énergies pour une idée, plutôt que contre. Le Forum sera l’occasion de découvrir les initiatives réussies de participation démocratique, les obstacles auxquels elles se heurtent et leur potentiel de généralisation. Il sera aussi le lieu d’une évaluation critique des nouvelles idées d’innovation démocratique et de leur développement en mode « open source » par les leaders et les innovateurs présents physiquement ou virtuellement. En savoir plus.
It made international news headlines. An estimated forty thousand persons, rendered homeless in no time, when a demolition squad rolled into Ijora Badia community. It’s the way of Lagos, it seems. The poor — who make up the ‘informal economy’ that reportedly constitutes about 70 percent of the city’s population — are perpetually on the run, hounded by government policies that seem to exist for the purpose of making more land available for the minority well-off to play with. (Apparently the bulldozers’ metal fist has been dangling above Ijora Badia since 1996/97.) Read more.
Submitted by Tolu Ogunlesi — Mon, 03/11/2013 – 13:28
Homelessness in Nairobi is not always apparent to the passer-by. By night the streets of central town are not full of people sleeping rough as is often the case in affluent “developed” cities. Even in slums, homelessness is quite contained, with people cramming into tiny huts but not on the beaten paths outside. There is, however, one part of the population that makes a living in the shadows of Nairobi’s streets. These are youth, constantly on the run from the police, many of whom make a bed for themselves when night falls wherever they can. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 03/11/2013 – 01:00
In the early hours of Monday 11 February, as Kibera residents set off to work, they were treated to the sight of a brightly painted train passing through the heart of their slum. This was the Kibera peace train, a collaborative effort of members of the community-based organisation Kibera Hamlets, Nairobi’s celebrity graffiti writers Spray Uzi, and many other Kenyan artists who turned up at the city’s railway station the previous Sunday to paint the entire side of a train with messages of peace and unity. The project, which was endorsed by the Rift Valley Railways, is another episode in a long line of political artistic campaigns targeting Kenyan citizens and politicians in the run-up to the elections this coming 4th of March. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 02/18/2013 – 00:00
Muungano wa Wanavijiji, a Kenyan partner of the Slum Dwellers International network, is battling it out in court to protect the residents of Mukuru kwa Reuben slum from being evicted from land they have occupied for more than thirty years. In a landmark court case, a legal team representing Muungano is attempting to sue a series of high-profile politicians — including the ex-president, a presidential aspirant, and prominent entrepreneurs — on behalf of the community. If successful, the case will be one of the first to effectively use the new constitution as backing for a community’s land claims. Read and discuss.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Tue, 09/25/2012 – 01:00
In July, the Lagos State Government razed the homes, businesses, and livelihoods of more than 20,000 residents of the waterfront community of Makoko, a major slum in the megacity. The recent destruction of homes and livelihoods is not a new phenomenon in this waterfront community: Seven years ago, in April 2005, the government led a similar exercise, demolishing houses, churches, shops, and community health clinics, and displacing more than 3,000 people. The trend of these demolitions, and similar ones in Lagos State and across the country over the past few years, highlights the insecure position of land tenancy and title for residents in informal communities and slums like Makoko. Read and discuss.
Submitted by Victoria Okoye — Wed, 09/19/2012 – 01:00
Masalah tanah masih menjadi masalah utama bagi warga miskin di ibukota Jakarta. Meski intensitas pemberitaannya kian berkurang, penggusuran tetap merupakan momok yang menghantui masyarakat miskin Jakarta, khususnya pendatang. Sejumlah organisasi non pemerintah dan lembaga swadaya masyarakat telah lama menyuarakan keberatannya dalam praktek-praktek penggusuran yang kerap kali tidak mengindahkan hak asasi manusia (HAM). Human Rights Watch (HRW) adalah salah satu organisasi yang menyoroti hal ini dan mengusulkan solusi.
Submitted by Julisa Tambunan — Wed, 05/02/2012 – 01:00