Slum Dwellers International (SDI) is a global network anchored by a transnational poor people’s movement working to create inclusive, resilient cities where slum dwellers’ lives are substantively improved. Committed to social justice, we champion community-led, citywide slum upgrading to expand access to essential services, secure tenure, and economic opportunities for the world’s one billion slum dwellers. By improving the lives of those who make up the urban majority in the Global South, we enhance citywide development outcomes and contribute to global efforts to protect people and planet.
Despite limited resources, urban poor communities are imagining their own futures through precedent setting pilots.
We live with the problems. We must lead the solutions!
While housing is our first line of defense against climate change, it is more than just about four walls.
Housing inequalities and injustices are driving climate vulnerability.
Basic rights, such as land tenure security, have not been widely secured.
Forced evictions, driven by the commodification of land, are accelerating under climate pressure, further limiting adaptive capacity. Being organised increases our bargaining power to secure tenure and drive incremental, community-led slum upgrading. Organised communities are advocating for secure tenure to unlock resilience capacity.
We don’t wait. We act.
We feel climate risks first.
We adapt to climate changes.
We are the first to respond to climate shocks.
We map our communities. We count our homes.
We document our needs.
We collect our own data, we take control of our future!
