Building a Pro-Poor Platform in Zimbabwe: Bulawayo

Back To Projects

Focus Areas: Housing

This project, which was initiated in 2013, sees funds go towards technical assistance for the Federation. It aims to provide support in the development and implementation of slum upgrading processes in the country by, firstly, developing and implementing a pro-poor platform and secondly aligning implementation and learning platforms. A learning platform has been developed for five (5) cities namely Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kadoma, Kariba and Chinhoyi. A city-level finance facility for slum upgrading was developed in Harare and design and operationalization guidelines for slum upgrading, including spatial redesigning of existing settlements were created. This project has supported the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the City of Harare and Chinhoyi Municipality around slum upgrading. Chinhoyi officials were trained to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to improve their water and sanitation delivery. There is continued support for joint project management between authorities and communities. The project has seen positive impacts with the City of Harare changing its by-laws to include slum upgrading.

Through this project, land has been made available to Federation groups in Gokwe and Masvingo settlements. Additionally, the Epworth Local Board has been contributing to costs of the production of an upgrading layout plan for Ward 7, which has been approved after a two year Government delay. 

Location: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Deliverables:

Although this is not a housing project, two types of housing were constructed in Zimbabwe during the period; transition housing as part of the upgrading programme as well as core houses, which are part of the incremental development programme. This includes rural housing under construction as part of the rainstorm disaster relief in Matebeland Region.

Community capacity:

Saving schemes continue to grow with support from the Federation leadership being channelled through local networks. The tally of saving schemes as of March 2013 is six hundred and forty-eight (648) with a collective savings of US$1,2 million. The saving schemes continue to be very creative in the use of their savings with groups saving for health and food, a strategy developed in the economic crisis period of 2006-2009. More recently groups have been using their stationery savings to cover travel costs for exchange teams. While some group statistics reflect a reduction in active membership (defined as members saving and attending meetings regularly) the general trend has been an increase in membership and consequently, an increase in savings.

Scale:

The project is enabling the Zimbabwe Federation to form alliances with other community organisations in developing upgrading processes in informal settlements leading to the creation of settlement and city-wide strategies. The alliance has been  focusing on issues such as water and sanitation, climate change, waste management  as well as securing tenure for illegal occupants of land. The Harare Finance Facility will be open to all organised community groups not just Federation members. 

City policies are also benefiting all slum dwellers. Scale not just in terms of breadth but also depth of engagement has been attained as the movement has been able to develop strategic alliances with both communities and Local Authorities.

Impact:

The project has enabled the alliance of Dialogue on Shelter and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation (ZIHOPFE) to develop a learning platform for five cities, namely Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kadoma, Kariba and Bindura with the City of Harare to share experiences around Harare’s 5 year slum upgrading program. Other milestones achieved include:

• The establishment of the Harare Slum Upgrading Finance Facility has been established (capital to date US$200,000).

• Adoption of incremental development and alternative water and sanitation processes in other Local Authorities.

• Changes in the City of Harare's by-laws to include slum upgrading.

Finance:

SDI Contributions:

SDI contributed US$57,500.

Resources Leveraged:

Land has been made available to Federation groups in Guruve, Gokwe and Masvingo. The Epworth Local Board has been contributing to costs of the production of an upgrading  layout plan  for Ward 7, which has now been approved after a two year delay. 

State Subsidy:

The State subsidy is in the form of land, provided through the various Local Authorities. Some local authorities have also covered some of the costs incurred during exchange visits. 

Market Generated Returns:

None to date.

Costs recovered from community:

The technical assistance (T/A) costs have not been factored into the repayments hence are not recoverable. However, the T/A has partially been used to establish the Harare Slum upgrading facility, which when fully functional will be operating on a cost plus profit basis.

Patience Mudimu patiencemudimu@gmail.com (+263) 4704 027 View Website


Project information updated: 03 November 2015

Project in depth

Detailed Information

The Dialogue on Shelter and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation (ZIHOPFE) alliance received technical assistance funds in 2013. It responded to the need to build on the Harare Slum Upgrading project, helping other cities and Federations join the network.

Deliverables:

The intention of this project was to develop a learning platform for five cities, namely Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kadoma, Kariba and Chinhoyi

Scale:

The project was initiated in five cities in a bid to facilitate the formation of allinaces between the Federation and other community organisations that are involved, to varying extents, in the development (read upgrading) of informal settlements. The aim was to develop, through these alliances, settlement and city-wide strategies for informal settlement upgrading, which would in turn be utilised to infuence policy shifts. 

Impact:

The project has enabled the alliance of Dialogue on Shelter and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation (ZIHOPFE) to develop a learning platform for five cities, namely Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kadoma, Kariba and Bindura with the City of Harare to share experiences around Harare’s 5 year slum upgrading program. Other milestones achieved include:

• The establishment of the Harare Slum Upgrading Finance Facility has been established (capital to date US$200,000).

• Adoption of incremental development and alternative water and sanitation processes in other Local Authorities.

• Changes in the City of Harare's by-laws to include slum upgrading.

Finance:

SDI Contributions:

SDI contributed US$57,500.00

Resources Leveraged:

The Federation was able to leverage land from Local Authorities. In addition to this, the Federation has beel able to leverage the approval of a five (5) year grant by DFID through Homeless International for water and sanitation (US$1 million) as well as the continuation of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Harare Slum Upgrading Project 3 year Work Order (US$1,1million) to boost its profile amongst officials from the Local Authority. Masvingo and Shamva Local Authorities have been meeting some of the costs of the three exchanges they have made to Harare. Previously Local Authorities did not see the value of contributing to such costs.

Costs recovered from community:

Part of the funds were used to establish the Harare Slum Upgrading facility which when functional will operate on a cost plus profit basis. Saving schemes continue to grow in Harare, with support from the Federation leadership being channelled through local networks. 

Banana, E.. Chikwete-Biti, B. & Walnycki, A. (2015).Co-producing Inclusive City-wide Sanitation Strategies: Lessons from Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, Environment and Urbanisation, 27(1): 1-20. [Online]. Available: www.shareresearch.org/file/1988/download?token=5mqi_AMV.
 
UrbanAfrica.net. (2015). Slum Upgrading and Inclusive Municipal Governance in Harare, Zimbabwe: New Perspectives for the Urban Poor. [Online]. Available: http://www.urbanafrica.net/resources/slum-upgrading-and-inclusive-municipal-governance-in-harare-zimbabwe-new-perspectives-for-the-urban-poor/
 
Zimbabwe Homeless People's Federation & Dialogue on Shelter. (2012). Harare Mayor Celebrates UN-Habitat with Slum Dwellers. [Online]. Available: http://old.sdinet.org/blog/2012/10/23/harare-mayor-celebrates-un-habitat-award-slum-dwel/
 
Zimbabwe Homeless People's Federation & Dialogue on Shelter. (2012b). SDI Five Cities Harare Conference Report, 20 - 21 March 2012. [Online]. Available: http://dialogueonshelter.co.zw/downloads.html?download=8:sdi-5-cities-harare-conference-report.

Funding Information

Raised:

$57,500.00

Funding type:

Grant funding

Implementing Partners

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation


Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)


Dialogue on Shelter & Zimbabwe Homeless People's Federation


Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs


The Rockefeller Foundation