urbaSEN
The Pitch
UrbaSEN formed a partnership with the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants to improve living conditions in Dakar’s informal settlements. They utilized a participatory framework to collaboratively design new housing and public spaces and implement waste and sanitation systems.
The Problem
Residents of Dakar’s informal settlements lived in precarious housing conditions with low-quality infrastructure and lacked adequate waste management and sanitation systems.
The Process
- Partnered with the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants to build informal settlements’ capacity to improve their living conditions and participate in urban management
- Established an urban renewal fund—inspired by traditional solidarity practices where residents from the same neighborhood contribute to and manage a common fund—that financed housing rehabilitation, construction, public space projects and income-generating activities via household loans
- Planned urban improvement projects through participatory workshops that included residents, local authorities and services, and decentralized state services
- Designed improvement projects based on specific community needs and developed new tools for local contexts
- Created and supported management committees, led by local women, to manage improvement projects and train locals in sanitation and infrastructure management
- Rehabilitated housing units and improved public spaces for youth and women
- Installed upgraded sanitation facilities for hygiene and health
- Led waste management awareness campaigns and improved waste collection systems
The Impact
- Improved the quality of local housing, sanitation resources and public spaces
- Provided leadership training to community leaders to sustainably maintain new infrastructure and waste collection systems
- Partnered with 20 women-led groups to engage local communities on projects, ensuring program longevity and empowering communities, especially women, to work together to steward urban resources
- Distributed 3,800+ waste bins, improving neighborhood waste management and cultivating a sense of ownership over public infrastructure and health
- Signed 20 agreements with local authorities and three with institutional partners to facilitate project implementation and commitment
- Inspired informal neighborhoods across Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso to replicate the model
