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Partners in Development: Listening to the Voices of Families Living in Extreme Poverty

Posted on 14 December 2015

ATD Fourth World Philippines
Participatory Action-Research 2011-2013
Towards Increased Understanding of Housing and Education Issues
A contribution to the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda

In this document, ATD Fourth World invites you to read about a participatory research study conducted in the Philippines in a context where improving life conditions of the poorest is a shared concern across different sectors including government, international institutions, services, churches and peoples’ organizations. At this time when many families living in informal settlements in Metro Manila are relocated for security and environmental reasons, it has been stated that relocation strategies of the government agencies should, as a top priority, prevent the displacement of families from their source of livelihood and schools and establish sustainable livelihood activities in relocation areas. Holistic approaches trying to address health, education, and income concerns of very deprived people are implemented, such as the Philippine Conditional Cash Transfer program “4Ps”. Likewise, education stakeholders already offer a wider range of learning pathways with more entry and re-entry points at different ages and educational levels, such as the Alternative Learning System.

This participatory research of ATD Fourth World is meant to be a contribution to this global effort toward development programs which leave no one behind and aim to encourage all people to contribute their experience to improve these programs. The long term commitment of ATD Fourth World’s teams with communities of Metro Manila for over 20 years made this research possible.

The outcomes presented in this document describe some mismatch between programs addressing housing and education issues and the strategies developed by families and communities to cope with these two aspects of their lives. The research includes proposals coming from people living in poverty. They reflect their expectations to be given opportunities to invest their experience and skills in the design of these programs.

This book is sponsored by UNICEF Philippines and ATD Fourth World.