Purpose: The urban vulnerable are excluded from the benefits of India's urbanizing economic progress. Women are worse off, having lower social status and weak control over finances, decision making. Urban Health Resource... [ view full abstract ]
Purpose: The urban vulnerable are excluded from the benefits of India's urbanizing economic progress. Women are worse off, having lower social status and weak control over finances, decision making.
Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC) works across 400,000 slum/informal-settlement population in Agra and Indore to form women's groups improve social cohesion, collective negotiation to improve urban governance.
Methods: UHRC advocates for efforts to address vulnerability of urban slum/informal-settlement populations, and facilitates civic authority action in response to community needs. Platforms for interaction are created for these purposes. Slum women are trained and mentored to submit need-specific petitions, send reminder requests, maintain paper trail, negotiate tactfully. They are motivated to persevere and succeed through focussed efforts at accessing government/civic services and entitlements. Schemes and entitlements are also explained to women.
Outcomes: In Indore-Agra, during April 2013-March 2015, negotiation capacity cultivated in women-groups with training, skill-building, mentoring led to 37000 persons among urban vulnerable communities benefitting from piped water supply, 12000 population benefitting with metered electric connections. Streets in 33 slums were paved benefiting 100000 urban slum/informal-settlement population, 140,000 population benefitted from regular cleaning of drains. 14000 persons not previously having government ID and proof of address obtained these crucial documents which enable legitimacy as citi-zens and facilitate access to government schemes and services. Appreciation, sustained mentoring, training builds collective confidence, negotiation skills among urban disadvantaged communities to work towards overcoming exclusions, vulnerabilities and enhance access to services, entitlements. Social recognition, respect, confidence and skills acquired are factors that keep women motivated.
Conclusions: Lessons from Indore and Agra, have resulted in Government of India’s National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) mandating Women’s Health Groups (Mahila Arogya Samiti) as the demand side intervention. The approach of slum women’s group led negotiation for services, entitlements is adaptable across growing Indian and other developing country cities.
VI. Research and action 6.1 Collaboration; interaction of researchers; stakeholders 6.2 S