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People-to-people exchange learning:  still the No. 1 form of learning and growing among Asia's and Africa's poor community groups. Go here to learn more and also download everything you want to know about this important development pedagogy.  

 

UPDF Cambodia 10th Year Anniversay 1998 - 2008

The Urban Poor Development Fund (UPDF) was set up in March 1998, as a joint venture of Phnom Pen's network of community savings groups, the Municipality of Phnom Penh and the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights. The idea was to create a revolving fund to provide soft loans to poor communities for their housing and income generation initiatives, through their savings groups, and to use the fund to pool efforts in partnership and development in the city. It has evolved beyond these initial aims and ACHR has produced a 20 page Newsletter to explain how.
You can download the newsletter in PDF format from Here

Understanding Asian Cities - Preservation for People

Historic districts in Asian Cities often preserve traditional social networks and traditional building skills, and in a rapidly-changing world represent values and identity. In practical terms, old urban districts also offer affordable housing to low-income communities. All too often, when the heritage aspect is "discovered", in the case of Beijing but also elsewhere, the low-income communities are pushed out, and traditional intangible structures also disappear.

Over the coming weeks ACHR will publish its findings on how the urban poor are fairing in World Heritage cities in Asia such as Lijiang in China, Pagan in Burma. Lunag Prabang in Laos, Hoi An in Vietnam, Penang in Malaysia and Kyoto, Japan.

Lijiang in China: Many we interviewed felt everything was better before Lijiang became a famous tourist site 10 years ago, because it has made everybody money-minded, and made it difficult and expensive for ordinary people to live in the town. Others said their lives had improved compared to before, and that many people prefer to live off the rents of their ancient houses which have become tourist shops rented by the wealthy from all over China. Our report on Lijiang starts here.

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Urban Poor Asia and Africa
“The looting, arson and destruction of property that has taken place is not a simple law and order situation. It has to be understood that you cannot create small islands of insensitive and arrogant affluence in a sea of increasing poverty and deprivation on the one hand and a ruthlessly manipulated political and judicial dispensation on the other.”
Kenya , Pakistan or Mother Earth ??? .... writings from ACHR / SDI friends on events in Kenya and Pakistan here

ACHR's Newsletter : Housing By People No. 17 is out this month
A 36 page SPECIAL ISSUE on the FUNDS poor communities put together and manage themselves.
BEYOND Savings .... to Community Funds
You can request a hard copy from ACHR or download from our Library here
Preview Front Page Here

World Habitat Day - Week in Thailand   Oct 1 - 7th 2007
Habitat Week in Thailand sees the inauguration of over 80 upgrading projects for poor communities, plus seminars and celebrations in nearly 40 provinces all over the country. Mayors, Governors, Academics, Community leaders, NGOs, international and national exchanges - an interactive habitat extravaganza.
More here. Also visit celebrations and projects in Udonthani and Chantaburi

Young Professionals Sept 18 updated 2010
Activities Brief Jan - June 2007 and UPDF YPs

Eviction Threats in Jakarta Sept 3 2007
Update on Evictions in Jakarta, Indonesia here

Urban Poor Cambodia Diary -
An update from a visit 4th August 2007
Up-grading - Evictions- Land Speculation
UPDF Plans and Stat.s Notes from Somsook Boonyabancha

Tsunami survivors share stories of rebuilding
A story in the New Orleans City Business Newspaper
July 9, 2007 here

Urban Poor Development Fund - UPDF - expands to Cambodia's provincial towns here

For those with fast internet links ... go here to see a preview of ACHR's new DVD on the Exchange visit of hurricane Katrina survivors visiting Tsunami survivors in Thailand and Aceh.

Cambodia Update
Apartments for the Poor in Borrie Kiella, Phnom Penh
Demonstrating a Feasible Alternative to Evictions
More here

Update Cambodia
After 3 years of community up-grading .... here

New Orleans Survivors Exchange with Thailand

Over the past few days survivors from New Orleans Hurricane Katrina ordeal have been visiting tsunami affected communities in southern Thailand. Sept 13 - 17 they will visit survivors in Aceh, Indonesia. They are part of a series of ACHR's Survivors' Dialogue Exchanges to promote people centred recovery efforts.
Full report on the first days in Thailand can be downloaded from HERE.
27 pages PDF text and photos 1.4 mgbs
Some photos only - here

 

Urban Poor Mongolia - June 16 2005
ACHR exploratory visit - Report from Arif Hasan HERE

  Congratulations Wardah         May 18 2005
Wardah Hafidz has been awarded the Gwangi Prize for Human Rights for her work with the urban poor in Indonesia. The Koren award is in honour of the May18, 1980 civil uprising against the military regime in Korea. The award in 2004 went to Aung Suu Kyi, Myanamr.
MORE HERE

THAILAND
Thailand's Amazing Urban Poor
Scale - Change - Action - People
Guide to Bann Mankong on this site  Here
BMK Statistics December 2004 Here
inauguration of the Bonkai up-grading  HERE
In the Download Library CODI - the first 4 years

Nepal New Urban Poor Partnership HERE

Reflections on ACHR in 2003  A brief note 

DEVELOPMENT  REFORM ________________
    OPINION FROM ARIF HASAN
International Loans and the Failure of Urban Development
Why we need more slums in Asia
Pakistan and the New World Economic Order
NEWSPAPER:
In Pakistan 70% of $4.6bn ADB projects failed


CAMBODIA
Break-through for the Poor in Cambodia May 2003
The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen's promise, 
 "Upgrade 100 urban poor Communities in 1 Year" 
Special Report on the UPDF starts here
City Development Strategy CDS - Phnom Penh

URBAN POOR ASIA  2003
Vietnam     8 Cities Network
Pakistan    Lyari Expressway 
Thailand    CODI - Million Houses
Bangladesh Report:  Urban Cleansing of Dhaka 

ACHR  & Urban Poor Newsletters Here
   Community Funds
    Urban Poor Good News Stories
    Partnerships
    Face to Face:  Community Exchanges

STRATEGIES THAT WORK

Community Savings
by Diana Mitlin

Savings and Credit
by Celine D'Cruz

Building Tools for Communities
from Face to Face Exchanges

Community Funds
32 page ACHR Newsletter

Thai Urban Poor Networks 
by Somsook Boonyabancha

PROFILES    - Organisations

Philippines Homeless People's Federation

Tibet Heritage Fund 

Urban Resource Centre  Karachi

PHOTO GALLERY

A Day in the Life of  Fr Jorge Anzorena

Penang Heritage Under Threat 
by Chris Wilson & Susanne Lettau

Nepal Photos
by Nick Seemann

Tibet  Photos
by Maurice Leonhardt

EXCHANGES

Extracts from the Magazine Face to Face 
on SDI and ACHR Community Exchanges   
Introduction with News of Recent Exchanges
Part 1  The Exchange History
Part 2  What happens when poor people visit each ?
Part 3  Building Tools for the Urban Poor

Some Exchange Diaries
Vietnam to Thailand & Surabaya
Cape Town Community in Asia  
Korea Japan meet the Hong Kong Homeless

 

URBAN HEROES 2000
AWARD TO ARIF HASAN     HERE

From Fr Jorge Anzorena's
SELAVIP JOURNAL
The Global Village here
SPARC / NSDF and
Sustainable Sanitation in Mumbai here

Contents Guide  
Latest News      
What We Do
New Resources   Newsletters        
Index by Country

ACTIVITIES
Strategy 2000   
TAP Training   Housing Rights  
Community Improvements  
Young Professionals    
Advocacy    Country Projects
NEWS
Face To Face  
In House News

ABOUT ACHR  
ASIAN FOCAL POINTS   LINKS

 

 

Eviction Watch & Housing Rights Evictions resume at Bassac, Cambodia KARACHI 2940 houses demolished in last 4 months The Word from the Poor on Evictions Evictions and LAW Street Vendors and Evictions Lyarie Expressway - a human tragedy. HERE Trends re Evictions in Asia 2004-2005 EVICTIONS ZIMBABWE ZIMBABWE CRISIS at the SDI Web-site NEWS On Forced EVICTIONS PAKISTAN Jan 2006 HERE INDIA JANUARY 2005 HERE JAPAN NAGOYA  JANUARY 2005 HERE