Homeless International began supporting the Pamoja Trust and Muungano wa Wanavijiji in 2000, and since 2004 we have been funding activities to further strengthen the Federation with the support of Comic Relief.
Muungano helps the urban poor who are either victims, or potential victims, of eviction, to advocate for their rights and to resist forced evictions or land grabbing. Muungano also advocates for permanent status and alternative resettlement areas for residents, by demonstrating constructive community-led approaches to slum upgrading.
The Pamoja Trust has supported Federation activities as a means of helping the urban poor to realise their rights to land, housing and infrastructure. One key activity has been enumeration, which involves communities gathering information about their slum settlements. By compiling the only detailed source of information on many areas, and by highlighting the scale of the informal settlements, the Pamoja Trust has also been able to work with communities in advocating for research and funds to be used to support community-led upgrading processes.
Rapid advances in mapping and community saving suggest that local communities are increasingly sharing knowledge and experience as they build Federation networks.
