INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION
	" Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere "

The HANNA NASSIF Project
 

It is estimated that over 75% of the population of Dar es Salaam, the United Republic of Tanzania's largest city (population 3 million), live in unplanned and almost wholly unserviced settlements. Hanna Nassif, which covers an area of 46 ha. and houses approximately 19,000 persons, is one of the oldest of these. Following research determining the community's priorities for improving their environment, UNDP funded an ILO technical cooperation pilot project in 1994 to address these needs using the tools of employment-intensive work and community participation. Using appropriate low-cost technology, a functioning and maintainable storm water drainage system was constructed and other basic infrastructure services were improved to good technical standards; employment was created locally exceeding the target of 15,000 person days of paid employment and 5,000 unpaid workdays as community contribution; capacity of the community to maintain the infrastructure, coordinate its own physical development and identify future priority needs was created through a Community Development Committee (CDC); a training manual giving step by step guidelines for replication of the process in other settlements was prepared and a working group trained in community-based infrastructure up-grading; and a survey report was written identifying and prioritising the next 10 unplanned settlements in Dar es Salaam for replication of this community based integrated approach. The project has since been replicated by the Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC) in six other unplanned settlements of Dar es Salaam with Irish Government and World Bank funding in a Community Infrastructure Upgrading Project (CIP) which was awarded one of ten Best Practices Awards by Habitat in 1998.

An evaluation carried out in 1997 determined that 600 m of main storm water channels, 1,500 side drain and 1,000 m of murram road had been constructed. A noticeable decline in water-borne diseases such as malaria, dysentery, cholera and bilharzia was reported and hence a savings to the poor in the way of reduced medical bills in addition to those resulting from reduced house repair costs for damage occuring during annual floods. The roads constructed have improved accessibility to informal sector economic activities and micro-enterprises, leading to improved productivity and increased sales as homes are often also workplaces for informal sector producers. An estimated 24,430 workdays were created of which 35% were for women. The additional income earned by workers improved the quality of their family lives, including enabling more children to attend school, and some were able to invest savings to start or expand economic activities. The CDC has established the capacity to maintain the infrastructure using funds collected from tolls charged to vehicles that use the roads. The DCC has also been strengthened to respond to community-based initiatives resulting in replication of the project in six other settlements.

• Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
• Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
• Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131)
• Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

In addition to funding provided by UNDP and other international agencies such as the Ford Foundation, ILO as lead agency cooperated with a UNCHS (Habitat) project to increase the capacity of local government to implement enabling, affordable and sustainable settlement development policies. UNV also participated by providing a volunteer in urban planning and community participation.

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See the complete paper, EVALUATION OF HANNA NASSIF COMMUNITY BASED URBAN UPGRADING PROJECT PHASE I, on the Development Policies Department's (POLDEV) site

 
For further information, please contact the Development Policies Department (POLDEV)
at Tel: +41.22.799.6436, Fax: +41.22.799.6867, or E-Mail: poldev@ilo.org