UN-HABITAT last week pledged funding to help 1,000 poor families in Accra, Ghana secure micro-credit loans for business and home improvement as part of a field testing budget in the slum of Old Fadima. UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka told a community meeting during a visit to the slum that the money amounting to some US$27,500, would be disbursed through the Ghana Homeless Peoples Federation as part of a pilot project in recognition of the efforts made by the community which has mobilized itself to raise funds. The Old Fadama community, derogatively known as “Sodom and Gomorrah” is Ghana’s largest squatter settlement. Located in the heart of Accra, the community of some 30,000 people has been under constant threat of eviction. It was established by migrant workers and internally displaced people from northern Ghana, most of whom came to town to find jobs and other economic opportunities. The homeless federation will be assisted in the management of the project by People's Dialogue of Human Settlements of Ghana. Both groups are affiliated with Slum/Shack Dwellers International. |
