Abromenor

“Abromenor” (living together) is an Addis-wide expression that reflects the Culture of sharing… and the undertones of struggle.

As a Community Development Planner in Addis, I have seen some of the highs and lows of “abromenor” and the challenges of participatory slum upgrading. At CUI we have been working with Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04. What many of the residents there love most about their slum is the generosity of their neighbors. What many hate, however, is the struggle to not just “live” but work together.

In November 2010, the City of Addis Ababa called for local Woreda Governments to mobilize citizens into Neighborhood Development Councils. This was an exciting time. Hundreds of community members from Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04 organized themselves into Councils, electing local leaders from each zone.
Since then, the neighborhood Councils have mobilized people to identify key problem areas, pool resources together and to draw upon consultants (such as CUI). While the Councils plan and debate development projects, the Woreda Government has been sitting on the sidelines. Local Officials have remained an overseeing eye, distant from the citizens and shaping Council leaders while dangling the carrot of 30-35% seed financing for successful projects.
In Yeka Woreda 04, our team has had a huge presence throughout this process - laying the framework for household surveys and leading focus group discussions, community planning consultations and Capacity building workshops. Mainly though, our team is in charge of pulling together the Community leaders ideas and visions into a cohesive plan… But throughout the process, there have been a few stumbling blocks in bringing people together.

For example, this past week we participated in a “Community Transit Walk”. Council leaders from each zone of Yeka Woreda 04 led us through the winding streets and dilapidated homes of their slum. We saw the insides of mud huts; sewer drains contaminating water pipes; overcrowded government housing; and families sharing 1 pit latrine with no bathing facility. Stigma was present everywhere; wealthy neighbors building barbed wire gates around their mansions to separate themselves from the poor.

The Transit Walk was an important step in engaging the Community and creating an interface between the Woreda, Council and people. Everyone came out to see what we were doing. Woreda Government Officials welcomed us into the Community. Council leaders led us through their homes. Families invited us into the far reaches of their kitchens, latrines and showers. We were sparking dialogues everywhere… But, when it came time for the Leaders to present their findings and vision to us afterwards, no one was to be found. The Neighborhood Council Chair did not even show up for the meeting. In that moment, the sense of “living together” was overshadowed by a lack of “working together”.

The meeting has since been rescheduled. I wonder though what gaps in collective engagement will emerge as we move forward. Will the community look to us to develop foreign-born Plans, ideas and resources? Will they fully collaborate with all sectors of society, from the government and private to the public and marginalized?
Planning by itself will not ensure Neighborhood Councils are successful in participatory upgrading. Therefore, the challenge of these slums will be to deal with, among other things, the capacity of the people to envision a better community, and to commit to working and communicating together. Only time will tell..

Krystie