Bhanuben Solanki lives with her husband and daughter in Bhagwatinagar, an informal settlement in Ahmedabad, India. She had a very challenging childhood, and was forced to marry at 13, but excelled in school. She earns a living as an ASHA (health) worker, teaching English, and doing sewing work. She is also an influential Vikasini (Community Leader) who has worked for numerous years supporting women in the community with government paperwork, and petitioning for services and neighborhood improvements from local government (with support from Mahila Housing Trust). She led a an awareness campaign to educate people about importance of voting, what to look for in the candidate when voting to empower community members to participate in the elections.
Bhanuben describes her daily life (housework, multiple jobs, community leader) and her drive to persevere despite challenges of life in an informal settlement.
Bhanuben Solanki lives with her husband and daughter in Bhagwatinagar, an informal settlement in Ahmedabad, India. She had a very challenging childhood, and was forced to marry at 13, but excelled in school. She earns a living as an ASHA (health) worker, teaching English, and doing sewing work. She is also an influential Vikasini (Community Leader) who has worked for numerous years supporting women in the community with government paperwork, and petitioning for services and neighborhood improvements from local government (with support from Mahila Housing Trust). She led a an awareness campaign to educate people about importance of voting, what to look for in the candidate when voting to empower community members to participate in the elections.
Bhanuben Solanki lives with her husband and daughter in Bhagwatinagar, an informal settlement in Ahmedabad, India. She had a very challenging childhood, and was forced to marry at 13, but excelled in school. She earns a living as an ASHA (health) worker, teaching English, and doing sewing work. She is also an influential Vikasini (Community Leader) who has worked for numerous years supporting women in the community with government paperwork, and petitioning for services and neighborhood improvements from local government (with support from Mahila Housing Trust). She led a an awareness campaign to educate people about importance of voting, what to look for in the candidate when voting to empower community members to participate in the elections.
Bijal Brahmbhatt has spent three decades conceptualizing, planning, managing, and providing support for slum upgrading programs across India, with a focus on empowering women to advocate for themselves with local government in order to claim public goods and services central to their well-being. She works to improve living conditions, foster climate resilience and overall economic security, through socio-technical approaches. She is an expert in land tenure, housing finance, renewable energy issues, community development and is a trained engineer.
Boonyabancha describes the process for engaging stakeholders developed by her team in Thailand, and how collaboration between local government, residentsand other community stakeholders has lead to more successful, equitable and sustainable urban development in cities throughout Thailand.
Somsook Boonyabancha, is Chairperson, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), a regional network of grassroots community organizations, NGO’s and professionals actively involved with urban poor development processes in Asian cities; former Director of the Community Organization Development Institute (CODI); Chairperson, of the Baan Mankong Program Committee.
Boonyabancha has been working and facilitating sustainable, equitable collective housing development and slum upgrading in Thailand and other Asian countries for 30 years – specializing in community-led initiatives. As director of CODI, she fostered a “city-wide” approach to community upgrading that has been replicated in cities across Thailand. She is based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Women living in informal settlements are often responsible for cooking, cleaning, caring for children and elders, all without easy access to water, electricity, or sanitation. Many do not have paperwork showing legal tenancy of their homes, even if they have paid to live there, as a result they are denied city services. MHT partnered with local government in Ahmedabad to de-link proof of tenancy to the right to services.