Manaus Urban Development

Location:
This project was implemented in the city of Manaus in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon: more specifically, in the northern and eastern Manaus neighbourhoods of Grande Victoria, João Paulo II and Vale do Sinai, where most of the poorest residents of the city live. There are more than 10,000 residents in those neighbourhoods.

Context and objectives:

This project was intended for families living in a vulnerable socio-economic situation and involved two main objectives: 1) the continuity and viability of the management of sanitary and social problems by the social organizations involved in the project and 2) the improvement of the sanitary and social conditions of 15,000 families.

Actions:

For the continuity and viability of the management of sanitary and social problems by social organizations:

Training of community stakeholders:
Fourteen courses, in each of which an average of 11 members of each association participated, were conducted to reinforce their outreach and social problem resolution abilities.

Carrying out public consultation and education campaigns on public development policies:
Public consultation on resolving drinking water access problems, awareness raising campaigns on the rational use of water and domestic economic impacts and campaigns for the legalization of administrative documents

Creation of a network of committed social organizations to represent the people:
This project encouraged the emergence of the community association forum comprised of four community associations. The forum’s main activities were setting up the foundations of its organization and defining its strategic orientations.

For improving the sanitary and social conditions of 15,000 families:

Participatory diagnosis of sanitary and social problems:
This diagnosis facilitated the identification and prioritization of the problems the main vulnerable groups encounter (youth, women and the unemployed).

Implementation of water service access and sanitation actions:
Identifying and mobilizing community stakeholders on project objectives, factors that contribute to service deficiency, technical improvements and required tariffs; engaging in a participatory process with the population to define, implement and manage the service; conducting awareness raising actions on sanitary issues: orientation on the responsible consumption of water, liquid and solid waste management and environmental management

Implementation of social actions:
A network of voluntary community representatives was created in each association to mobilize the population and support activities. 144 youth were mobilized in two neighbourhoods and regularly participate in socio-educational and sports workshops. 31 professional development courses have been carried out in partnership with the municipality, SENAC, SENAI and SEBRAE. 502 students have been trained, 86% of whom are women.

Direct beneficiaries in 2006:
144 youth for socio-educational activities and 500 adults for professional development
1,000 families for civic responsibility actions
Indirect beneficiaries:
All families in three neighbourhoods or nearly 50,000 people

Partners:

            The local partner was the ADEIS, and the Manaus water distribution authority (ADA), the Government of the State of Amazonas and the municipality of Manaus were the other project partners.
The French ministry of foreign affairs and the Lord Michelham of Hellingly Foundation funded this project.