The partners

FIELD NOTE 24699 May 1999 arivartan D provides services at the local level which connect to the city , .h level, while at the same time finance is provided - - }. __ from both the community , (local) levels and the city. For this reason, a number i , of agents work in 7L. g= partnership at various levels to ensure that Parivartan is effective. ' Parivartan to deliver services where demand is greatest and promotes the . management of services { at the lowest possible level. It could also enable communities to make individual choices about technology, contracting, r- _ and management arrangements. Potentially, it provides communities with the opportunity to design their '.__ own financing F |Sinheshwari Nagar residents with their partners from MHT  arrangements while maintaining a participating slum communities, that formal relationship with the AMC. it will not relocate the slum for a minimum of 10 years once it joins The Partners the Parivartan program. This The Ahmedabad Municipal unprecedented land tenure security Corporation (AMC) is responsible is a crucial factor in contributing to for providing all municipal services Parivartan's success. to the city and has a workforce of The AMC has been making about 40,000. The AMC has the investments in slums through a distinction among Indian range of Central, state, and city municipalities of having a balanced funded programs and has a unique budget and an A+ credit rating from tradition of recognizing the CRISIL. As early as 1890, the city importance of its poorer citizens. As was providing piped water and a result, the AMC has continued to sewerage and today, 65 per cent of take initiatives such as resettlement the city's population is covered. The of flood victims (1970), slum census city's population of 2.9 million is (1976, 1990), environmental divided into five zones and 43 mapping (1995), comparative risk wards. It elects 129 corporators assessment (1995), and most once every five years. The Mayor, recently, Parivartan. with his team of Standing Sharada Trust was launched by Committee members which includes Arvind Mills in 1995 to facilitate the the Leader of the Opposition, works slum improvement experiment in with the Municipal Commissioner, Sanjaynagar. Representatives of an IAS officer appointed by the AMC, selected NGOs, and Arvind Government of Gujarat. Mills sit on the Board of this public The AMC is the host agency for charitable trust. Professional Parivartan, providing part of the management and technical inputs finance, coordinating the various for the work in Sanjaynagar are partners, and taking the lead in provided by Sharada Trust to the setting the project rules within the community. The detailed designs overall city-wide plans. The and the contracts were prepared by technical inputs are' provided a reputed local consultant hired and through a specialised unit known as supervised by Sharada. the Slum Improvement Cell. In the SAATH, an Ahmedabad-based AMC is the host agency i pilot phase, the Cell will be doing NGO, with work experience in for Parivartan, providing the designs, estimates, contract several slums, concentrates on part of the finance, preparation, tendering, and youth development and social coordinating the various construction supervision. Through its awareness and has been active pariners, and taking the system of zonal engineering offices, since 1989. Recently, SAATH has leadrtnsers,ang then procth AMC also intends to link Parivartan begun to concentrate on the lead in setting the project to city-level capital investment dissemination of urban governance rules within overall plans. One unique feature of information to communities in an city-wide plans Parivartan is that the AMC provides initiative which aims to link them a written assurance to each of the with the city. In Sanjaynagar, SAATH  acted as a social intermediary Parivartan. representing the community's SEWA Bank, an urban Mahila Housing SEWA interest with other partners. SAATH bank of and for self Trust was set up in 1994 supported the formation of a new employed women, acted as in response to demand CBO in Sanjaynagar, which now a financial intermediary in from the community of operates independently. Sanjaynagar by initiating poor, self employed Mahila Housing SEWA Trust and collecting the (MHT), another Ahmedabad-based community contribution for women In Ahmedabad, organization, was set up in 1994 in Parivartan and depositing it for specialized response to demand from the in individual bank accounts. housing-related services community of poor, self employed SEWA Bank, when women in Ahmedabad, for requested, also provided shelter and specialized housing-related services. upgradation loans to the residents MHT is currently working in and financial services to the other partnership with the AMC and the partners in Sanjaynagar. private sector in 12 of the 18 areas Subsequently, the AMC and being targeted by the Parivartan SEWA Bank have signed a * program. MHT's field workers Memorandum of Understanding, mobilize the slum communities to the first of its kind, which defines join the program and facilitate a a relationship between the city constant interface between the authority and the community community and AMC, especially so finance institution, for financial that the women can participate in services to the pilot and the decision-making process within subsequent phases. * I s~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' 7:~ ~ ~~A 4 0 _- ,,>t ' J~~~ - + *w wS's s [n_ - owi_ '' W m - loI-- 2 - IE ie ''s ~ rT~wmi~135  The Future The circle of partnership is growing and, as Parivartan spreads, it may include other partners such as Sanchetana; Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA); St Xaviers Society; Chetana; Vikas; Lion's Club; and other social service and private organizations. i Well-defined roles with a matching operational mechanism, willingness to team up, a clearly defined task, and organizational maturity have promoted the effectiveness of the partnership so far. j Building on this experience, the city is now seeking to design sustainable institutions to deliver results across Ahmedabad. <;- / . *- Community: Last but not least, _ _ ____-______--_'____-_' the slum communities are the J izz5 _ ff 2w* - -- S principal partners in Parivartan. The - participating community forms an 4 | i - - ^ @ > .<