http://www.homeless-international.orgLatest content from homeless.en-gbhttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40312&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40312&tid=rssFri, 12 Dec 2008 10:36:15 GMT Each year we receive generous support from UK housing associations.  Below are just some of the organisations that we have been working closely with over the last few years, who have provided funding for our projects throughout Africa and Asia.  Chartered Institute of Housing The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has worked closely with Homeless International over many years, and played a central role in developing the 'Villages of Hope' appeal after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in south east Asia.  The 2004/5 president of the CIH (Ian Richardson), the 2007/8 president (Paul Diggory) and the 2009/10 president (Howard Farrand) chose to support Homeless International through their year-long Presidential Appeals.  The 2007/8 appeal specifically supported our partner in Zambia. Civica (formerly Comino plc) Civica has given support to Homeless International during the past few years by providing grants and free hands-on computer support.  In 2005 they kindly donated £16,000 to support our Indian...http://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40309&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40309&tid=rssFri, 12 Dec 2008 10:29:55 GMT Ajahma TrustThe Ajahma Trust kindly agreed to support our Indian partner SPARC’s sanitation work through the 'Community-led urban infrastructure development in small towns and cities' initiative in 2005/6.  This was our first grant from the Ajahma Trust.  We hope to work with them on other initiatives in the future. Big Lottery Fund In 2005, the Big Lottery Fund awarded Homeless International a three-year grant for a community-led water and sanitation initiative in Malawi.  This was the first time that the Big Lottery Fund had supported our core work with Federations of the urban poor, although they had previously supported other types of projects.  The Big Lottery Fund is currently supporting slum dwellers in Zambia to obtain legal titles to land and build their capacity to develop sustainable communities under a five-year initiative, which began in 2008.  We consider this renewed partnership with the Big Lottery Fund an important milestone in our grants work. Comic...http://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40311&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40311&tid=rssFri, 12 Dec 2008 10:35:13 GMT UK Department for International Development The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has supported Homeless International’s partners over a number of years.  It has provided grant-funding for a wide range of community-driven initiatives, including the following recently completed projects:  'Alternatives to forced evictions' (Ghana, April 2004 – March 2009) 'Communities learning from communities – urban capacity building in Southern Africa' (Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, April 2005 – March 2009) DFID is also currently supporting the ‘Mumbai pavement dwellers urban renewal mission’ (India, June 2007 - May 2011). Between 1993 and 1998, DFID provided £124k to help Homeless International develop the Guarantee Fund mechanism.  A research grant given by DFID in 1999 helped Homeless International co-ordinate an international study into the viability of scaling-up housing finance to poor communities, entitled ‘Bridging the finance gap in housing and infrastructure’.  In response to the results of this research, DFID and the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida) have invested...http://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:43432&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:43432&tid=rssMon, 01 Feb 2010 11:42:56 GMThttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=0&id=0:54460&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=0&id=0:54460&tid=rssMon, 01 Feb 2010 11:41:55 GMThttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=0&id=1:30586&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=0&id=1:30586&tid=rssMon, 01 Feb 2010 11:27:29 GMThttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=1:29598&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=1:29598&tid=rssMon, 01 Feb 2010 11:21:50 GMT The 2004 Asian tsunami devastated countless communities, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and displacing more than a million people from their homes.  Affected communities included those supported by Homeless International’s partners in Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.  With funds raised through our Tsunami Appeal, we provided support for a number of community-driven projects, helping those affected to rebuild their homes and communities. Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, we supported our partner organisation, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), to help families rebuild their housing and infrastructure; 1,880 families have benefited in the following ways: 187 houses have been rebuilt and repaired in nine districts; these were among the worst affected by the tsunami.  Families negotiated for land from the local authorities with the support of our partner organisations, built temporary shelter and then received assistance to build their houses. Essential infrastructure was also rebuilt in those areas: 55 toilets were built and...http://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40350&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40350&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/client_images/doc_images/P1000767_cropr.jpghttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:40350&tid=rss250375Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:48:01 GMT Homeless International is supporting the Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI) to work with the Tanzania Federation of the Urban Poor to develop community savings and credit groups.  The Federation currently has about 5,000 members forming savings groups in the cities of Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Dodoma and Musoma.  Savings group members have already saved around 80 million Tanzanian Shillings (more than £40,000) through the collection of daily savings and an additional 18 million Shillings (around £9,000) in their ‘Jenga Fund’ for housing and infrastructure development.  Jenga means ‘construct’ or ‘build’ in the local language, Swahili.  The savings groups are the basis for communities to plan and negotiate settlement development schemes. In recent years, CCI has helped the Federation to develop local exchanges for savings groups to share experience and good practice between communities.  As well as local exchanges, the Federation has taken part in exchanges to other East and Southern...http://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:43158&tid=rsshttp://www.homeless-international.org/redirect.aspx?module=3&doc=0:43158&tid=rssFri, 18 Dec 2009 14:48:21 GMT Temeke Mwisho or 'Temeke Quarters' is an area of about 30 acres in the Temeke Municipality, part of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  As part of government plans to redevelop the area, families living on the land face being evicted.  Homeless International is supporting CCI and the Tanzanian Federation to work with families to fight the evictions. Temeke Mwisho is home to more than 2,500 people.  Despite living near the centre of one of the largest cities in Africa, these families live from petty trade and small-scale agriculture.  Most families have been staying here for several decades; but most of the 187 houses in the area are not properly maintained by the Municipality and living conditions are dangerous.  'Until the 1960s, the houses were in a good condition, the authorities used to maintain them well', recalls Anna, a resident since 1957.  But then the living conditions deteriorated and they were forgotten by...