News Aug2000

Welcome to Citywatch. This is a newsletter that keeps you uptodated on the activities of SPARC, NSDF and Mahila Milan. In this August 2000 report, we have the following stories:

----- Original Message -----
From: BRCS <BRCS@iafrica.com>
To: Sheela Home <mithila@bom3.vsnl.net.in>; Céline D'Cruz <celine@vsnl.com>;
Somsook Boonyabancha <achrsec@email.ksc.net>; Sundar Burra
<sundarburra@hotmail.com>; Aseena Viccajee <aseena@bom5.vsnl.net.in>; NSDF
<arcbyc@vsnl.com>
Cc: Vusi Nsuntsha <vsuntsha@dialogue.org.za>; Joel Bolnick
<joelb@dialogue.org.za>
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2000 2:54 PM
Subject: Looming visit

> Hello all
>
> As you know Vusi and I will be bringing two representatives of the SA
> parastatal NURCHA to visit India and Thailand from 18-25 August. My
> previous letter about this gives the background.
>
> At this point I'd really like to tie down some kind of general plan for the
> visit (even if only to have something to talk to them about on the flight
> over). As I mentioned to you in Mumbai last month, besides their
> interaction with NSDF/MM and the Thai community groups, first prize would be
> for them to meet with your government contacts (RMK, HUDCO, MMC, whomever)
> and with UCDO's finance people. These meetings need not be detailed or
> strenuous, but my sense is that the combination of exposure at community
> level and glowing statements of support from your bureaucrats will have
> maximum impact.
>
> We arrive in Mumbai at 23h40 on 18 August (Friday night). We will be there
> until the morning of 24 August when we must depart for Bangkok at 04h40.
> This gives the week-end and three weekdays. We arrive in Bangkok at 10h10
> and depart for SA at 00h50 on the morning of the 26th. This gives
> approximately 1 & 1/2 days in Bangkok.
>
> Please respond as soon as you can ...
>
> Thanks
>
> Ted
>
> Bay Research and Consultancy Services
> +27-21-788-2311 (tel/fax)
> +27-82-602-4330 (cell)
> http://www.talk.to/brcs
>
> The views expressed in this email are those of the author and should not be
> attributed to clients of Bay Research and Consultancy Services unless
> otherwise stated.

Homeless In Japan and Visitors from Japan:
> JAPAN
> October 2000
>
> From Tokyo to Okinawa, 1500 kilometers March of the homeless. Peter Shimokawa
A group of 24 homeless departed from Shibuya in Tokyo on 24th June walking, met the homeless of 17 cities of Japan, went to Okinawa during the time of the G8 Summit and safely came back to Tokyo-Shibuya on 29th July. Nojiren (Shibuya Free Association for the Right to Housing and Well-Being of the Homeless) with other two groups (in Nagoya, Osaka) organized the march. Nojiren is an organization formed by homeless themselves in Tokyo-Shibuya with some supporters. As a result of the recession there are around 500 homeless in Shibuya. Their presence is conspicuous in the modern and colorful ward of Shibuya where the number of homeless has doubled during the past three years. For the last five years Nojiren has built companionship among the homeless, by soup kitchen activities and night patrolling. Nojiren has negotiated with the government administration in order to stop evictions and to obtain medical, job and welfare assistance.
>From 1999 Nojiren began little by little began to create new jobs for themselves and to support the companions who obtain in the first weeks. (loans, provision of shelter) Homeless increase in Japan Due to the recession the homeless are increasing in most Japanese cities. It is said that the number of homeless in Japan is between 20 thousands and 40 thousands. The government finally started to consider them as a national issue in 1999, but almost nothing has yet done. However in spite of the presence of many homeless, the homeless organization is very weak excepting Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. In other cities the organization is week or not existent and the homeless are isolated.

The purpose of the March
The first purpose of this March was to establish contact with as many as possible homeless and supporters, exchange experiences and try to generate a solidarity network to overcome their present problems. The second purpose was to voice their complaint and appeal to the society about the terrible conditions in which they are by marching throughout the country into Okinawa, focusing on the G8 summit. The homeless in Japan, want also to join the movements of the poor in Asia, Africa and all over the world and walk together into the future in solidarity.

What remains from this March?
During the long daily journeys the men learned to walk together at a common pace, accepting differences among each other. The members of the March met with many homeless and groups in 17 cities (Tokyo, Kawasaki, Yokohama, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Odawara, Shizuoka,Nagoya, Kyoto, Takatsuki, Osaka, Amagasaki, Kobe, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Naha) and exchanged experiences fruitfully. Through these exchanges, the most important things that both the homeless of this March and the homeless welcoming this March in each city obtained seem to be "self-confidence" and a "wider view of the reality".

"Self-confidence": Many homeless themselves were under the impression that they were a failure for loosing their jobs and being in the street and that they could not do anything about. However now the homeless have carried but this March which ordinary people could not do and see that their efforts could succeed.

A "wider view of the reality"
The homeless during the March met many other homeless in isolated places who were suffering under their similar conditions. By this, they realized that the cause of becoming homeless was not in themselves, but in structural problems in the society. Meeting with each other and exchanging their experiences nourished the feeling of solidarity and compassion among themselves. The homeless of the March felt much compassion in some cities like Kitakyushu and Fukuoka seeing the number of homeless, their isolation and how neglected they were. Through this March many homeless and their support groups in several cities realized that similar exchanges could provide new possibilities and power of negotiation to the homeless. The homeless by receiving messages of support from all parts of the world were encouraged. These letters were very heartening for this isolated group of homeless.

From the time they arrived to Okinawa the Government was threatened by their presence. Police was waiting for them in the pier, and several times were restricted in their actions. In one occasion as far as 200 policemen were deployed. The homeless seeing the police felt threatened by them felt their strength and reduced their own fear to the police.

Nojiren next steps
The contacts done in several cities during this March will be concretized in the formation of networks around common issues. The urgent issues are:

To pay more attention to the housing rights and to stop the evictions,
To promote proper programs of assistance for self-reliance of the homeless, including shelters and jobs in national level.
To cooperate with eviction watch movements in Asia and Africa.
To start common projects among different groups. In May 2000 the FOOD BANK JAPAN project started Until then, each homeless support groups separately purchased rice for soup kitchen for the homeless in each area with much costs and efforts. At the time several homeless support groups (including our Nojiren) organized a network called FOOD BANK which is open to every group, which work for the homeless.
The FOOD BANK Network, through direct negotiation with farmers organizations, is obtaining two tons of older rice four times a year. From September it will get four tons. The homeless themselves are involved in the project. The FOOD BANK Network intends to explore partnership with Government and other organizations. The network dreams also to start common income generating projects, like recycling Nojiren intends to participate in the eviction watch program in solidarity with the housing movements in Asia Finally Nojiren is planning for the beginning of 2001 to initiate field level exchanges. among homeless people and support groups in East Asia (Hong Kong, Korea and Japan).

Concluding Remarks>
This homeless people's march was an "interesting" and unusual among the recent events of the poor in Japan. The homeless people themselves felt it "interesting" and enjoyed it and did it by themselves. There are many possibilities in furthering the horizontal exchange among the homeless and in the power of networking.
>
> For further information:
> Peter Shimokawa
> "Nojiren (Shibuya Free Association for the Right to Housing and Well-Being
> of the Homeless)
> E-mail: pmshimo@aa.mbn.or.jp
> Tel: 81-3-3465-0831//
> Fax: 81-3-3465-8630 (Private)
> 81-3-5406-5254 (Office of Nojiren)
> "March-of-the-HOMELESS against unemployment and eviction in JAPAN"
> http://home.att.ne.jp/blue/keyaki/zenkokuangya.htm
> "Nojiren

From Celine to Pete" 7th August 2000

Dear Peter,
Many thanks for the report. Yesterday we had a group of 25 students from the life program who visited us .I spoke to them about the march and gave them your report. The Japanese always find it uncomfortable trying too deal with similar problems back home. It was interesting to see their reactions .They were just like the middle class here .Very typical " people like living like that and are not interested in changing their lives" We have really had to work very hard on the middle class in our context and I wonder if you need to do the same back in Japan in a more focused way. I am sure you and the homeless will know best how too include them in your dialogue. You have to talk of solutions that work for the homeless and the city.
I will keep in touch and inform you about what we have been doing out here .You must visit with a team of the homeless if you get a chance .All kinds of Japanese visit us here but the homeless.So we must have a chance to expose them too. I am sure finding the resources for it is not a problem. Bye Peter ,
Wishing you all the best celine

Mr. V.P.Singh wants to visit railway rehabilitation!
Dear Friends,
Yesterday in the evening we had an unexpected invitation to visit Mr. V.P.Singh who was India's Prime Minster earlier, and who has decided to take on the issues of urban slums ( beginning with Delhi) especially on the issue of demolitions without rehabilitation. The invitation to meet him arose from the news about Jockin winning the Magsasay Award. Mr. Singh is visiting Bombay for undergoing medical treatment and his dear friend and press secretary when he is in Bombay Mr. Sudarshan checked with some of the people who had interviewed Jockin to get in touch with Jockin in Byculla and invited him to Sayadri for a meeting.

Apart from a very rich discussion on how in India, the world needs to recognize someone before local recognition is given, the plight of the urban poor and the inability of cities to plan themselves to accommodate all sectors who make cities vibrant, the discussion soon went to examining how he as a person who now seeks to champion this cause can learn from what we have been doing. For that on Sunday the 13th we plan to go on a visit to transit and MHADA houses, and Byculla.

This is a new experience for the alliance to have such senior political personalities seeking to experience this process and we hope all works out well. In addition to this he has suggested that we explore ways to utilize his presence in Delhi to examine contentious issues in this area.

All ideas and comments are welcome!
Sheela
Sheela Patel
SPARC

The workshop on Urban Resettlement: Assisting Informal Dwellers' was conducted on July 25-26, 2000 at the ADB's Headquarter in Manila. The objective of the workshop was to facilitate exchange of experiences and ideas between the NGOs, private sector representatives and the project authorities from three projects with issues relating to informal dwellers. Major focus of deliberations was on the rights and entitlements of informal dwellers to compensation and resettlement assistance, partnership development between key stakeholders, and public participation and consultation in project preparation. Major recommendations of the workshop include:

Resettlement policies and strategies designed for resettlement of informal dwellers must ensure a minimum package of assistance providing to them a security of tenure and a better living environment on the basis of sustainable development.

Involvement of community organizations is absolutely important in resettlement policy formulation and project planning, design and implementation. Therefore, project timeline must be flexible to facilitate emergence of community organizations and public consultative process reflecting people's perception and choices. Appraisal in a project should not take place until community organizations are in place and consensus is reached in identifying people's needs, priorities and acceptable strategies through a consultative process.

Since emergence of community organization and public consultative process takes time, these upstream activities should begin in advance as soon as projects are identified in the Country Assistance Programs.

Multilateral agencies should set up special funds for social preparation that could be accessible to community-based organizations for public consultation and participatory process to emerge and for hiring of NGOs, where necessary.

The workshop concluded with specific suggestions on the need for establishing networks between the NGOs and project authorities for exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences, and for similar workshops in other countries to enable participation of more countries to learn from other projects. The participants from Philippines made specific request to ADB for assistance to enable them to visit the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) and to learn from the excellent works done by SPARC, the NGO associated with the MUTP, in mobilising the community resources and participation for resettlement.