The programme to support the Fédération Sénégalaise des Habitants aims to develop the capacity of urban development and the improvement of the housing of the inhabitant·es in precarious areas of the suburbs of Dakar.
Since the late 1980s, the suburbs of Dakar undergoes repeated floods generating considerable damage, especially in the commune of Djiddah Thiaroye Kao (DTK), and in other municipalities of the suburbs.
For nearly 20 years, some areas remained flooded for several months each year, requiring a section of the population to abandon his house, to rebuild or to live in conditions that are particularly at risk with significant health risks.
From 2007 urbaMonde is associated with local actors – from capita·es organized·es in a group of associations (CADDTK), as well as professional·the urban senegalese who sought since 2005, sustainable solutions to flooding recurrent – to strengthen the capacity of planning, prevention and management of flood risks of the inhabitants of the precarious neighbourhoods.
This collaboration has given rise to a participatory planning process for the city of DTK and the emergence of a citizens ‘ movement organized in the Senegalese Federation of the Inhabitants (FSH) and his NGO technical support, urbaSEN.
This federation of capita·es now has nearly 13,000 members organized in 580 groupings savings, composed of a majority of women (96%), and is located within a fortnight of the Commune of the suburbs of Dakar and in the regions of Thiès, Louga, and Ziguinchor. She is a member of Slum Dwellers International, a network of capita·es in precarious areas, present in 32 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The FSH boasts a urban governance and local participatory and fills a real gap in the chain of construction of the city : the participation of the inhabitant·es. In fact, the expectations and the needs of the populations of the districts irregular were only very partially taken into account and the inhabitant·es little listened to.
2010 – 2013 Reduce the risk of hydraulic and land by a concerted planning of the common DTK
From 2005, the State has launched an emergency plan, the plan Jaxaay, which aimed to resettle the population affected by the floods in a new town located 30 km from Dakar and the construction of retention basins on the rights-of-way to be released. However, this project proved to be insufficient, and sometimes out of touch with the needs : a part of the population was not supported, and some·es capita·es opposed to the relocations. The inhabitant·es are then mobilized·es to find sustainable solutions to the social problem, urban, and environmental.
With the support of a technical team of local and urbaMonde, the populations affected by the floods were then put in place the project UrbaDTK1.The objective was to support the restructuring of the districts in erratic common Djiddah Thiaroye Kao, one of the towns most affected by the floods, through urban planning, participatory focused in priority on the risk management of water and land security.
Considerable efforts have been made to strengthen the local capacities in the field of urban development and water infrastructure, and to unite the inhabitant·es around urban issues. In parallel, the professional·the urban and the inhabitant·es have led advocacy at all levels of the State of Senegal, to better understand the origin and causes of flooding as well as to propose solutions.
The project UrbaDTK 1 was allowed to formalise the proposals of the inhabitant·es in a master plan and investment plan as a priority for the municipality of DTK and reduce the risk of property by a cadastral survey and a census of the commune. The project has also helped develop a Municipal Bureau of Urban planning (BMU), the first in Senegal, bringing real competence in the field of urban planning at the city Hall of DTK. Until then, the commune, bringing together more than 150 000 capita·es, did not mapping the city. UrbaSEN and the BMU were able to coordinate a broad survey of the field, to identify and map more than 6000 plots.
2014 – 2017 Rebuild 200 flooded houses in the commune of DTK
The master plan participatory realized during the project UrbaDTK1 proposed a series of measures for the improvement of the living conditions of the inhabitants of the commune of DTK, in particular, in order to better control the risk of flooding in and out of the settlements out of water. If some of these measures require significant investments from the State, and exceed the scale of action of municipalities and groups capita·es, the project UrbaDTK_2 had the ambition to support the civil society to ensure the sustainable re-development of the habitat.
He had to bring solutions to increase access to funding affordable as well as technical support to the inhabitant·es in precarious areas. The Face of the absence of solutions to the improvement of the habitat, including the homes damaged by the floods, so it is citizen action structured by FSH and framed by professional·the one that came to connect and extend the action of the State in the precarious neighbourhoods.
The projects of reconstruction and improvement of the habitat refers to works that are relatively modest, with no great pretensions to architectural and barely perceptible on the landscape layout, but a strong social impact. The projects are made by members of savings groups affiliated with the FSH, validated by the latter and the credit committee of the FSH.
Each project is accompanied by the technical team of urbaSEN throughout the process of encryption, tracking and receiving of the site. 213 low-income households have benefited from the project UrbaDTK2, by securing funding from the revolving fund of the FSH to rebuild their home, with the technical support of urbaSEN.
2018 – 2021 Consolidate the Senegalese Federation of the Inhabitants and improve 400 homes
The FSH mobilizes, and unites its members to make their voices heard with local authorities, and to defend their interests in terms of access to habitat, dignified and sustainable. It is in charge of all aspects of the community such as the sharing of information, the admission of new groups and the selection of beneficiaries in the framework of the projects related to the improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitant·of the urban poor.
The innovation lies in the sharing of the savings to the scale of the federation. This provides power to the revolving fund for the reconstruction, which aims to be sustainable. It requires and raises both awareness by members of the Federation, as a whole, they have a greater power of acting : Mbolo Mooy Dole, the Union makes the Force, such is its slogan.
UrbaSEN and FSH also manage a brickyard area, fueling the ongoing projects, to produce materials of construction quality at a favorable price, and support the training of local artisans. In addition, a technical training was given to craftsmen-masons, and members of groups capita·es, to be responsible, to follow the work and warn in case of problems.
Since 2015, the FSH is a member of the network Slum Dwellers International (SDI), the holder of the voice of the urban poor from 32 countries organised as federations of savings groups. The ” SDI model “, which is to mobilize the urban poor to improve their homes through the ritual of social savings, data collection and policy advocacy, has greatly inspired the creation of the FSH and the vision of urbaSEN as the organization’s technical assistance in the service of the inhabitant·es.
Film Mbolo Moy Dole – the Union makes the force !
This film traces the story of the urbaSEN and the Senegalese Federation of People in Dakar. Hit·es by violent floods, capita·es precarious are organized to deal with many of the urban problems and improve their habitat.
2023 – World Price of the Habitat
UrbaSEN and the Senegalese Federation of the Inhabitants received in 2023, the World Price of The Habitat. This award, organized by World Habitat, is the main prize in the world of housing. The winner·es receive 10 000 £ and have the opportunity to participate in international development projects.
How does the FSH ?
▶ other videos on the YouTube channel of our partner urbaSEN
