In the Shadow of Rent, a Home Emerges: The Tamanga Story
Ligineti Khembo Bande is 49 years old. For more than two decades, she has lived as a tenant in Chinsapo, on the edge of Lilongwe-a place where survival is negotiated
Building Climate Resilience Through Data: How Mgona’s Updated Settlement Profile Drives Inclusive Slum Upgrading
A Community Rising Through Evidence In the heart of Lilongwe, Mgona Ward stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of urban communities facing climate and development challenges. Once
Healthy Ecosystems, Resilient Communities: Restoring Nature Through Local Action in informal settlements in Malawi.
What if the biggest threat to our cities isn’t climate change itself, but the slow destruction of the ecosystems that protect us from it? For many people living in Malawi’s
Empowering Youth Through Digital Innovation: How Digital Research Tool Training is Transforming Community Development
In many informal settlements across Africa, young people are often viewed as beneficiaries of development programmes rather than active contributors to change. The SDI Innovation Impact Initiative is challenging this
The Power of Youth Participation: Co-Designing Know Your City Tools for Urban Transformation
Recognizing this opportunity, the Slum Dwellers International (SDI) Innovation Impact Initiative: Young Africa Works for the Transformation of Slums and Informal Settlements – A Sulley Gariba Legacy Initiative was establishedWhen the City plans, do the informal settlements listen? A policy review of the Lilongwe City Resilience Action Framework (RAF) through the lens of locally-managed finance for urban ecosystem restoration
Introduction Urban areas in Malawi comprise the four major cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba, as well as other towns and gazetted planning areas. According to the National Statistics
From Challenge to Action: Strengthening Community-Led Urban Ecosystem Restoration in informal settlements in the City of Lilongwe
Introduction Urbanisation across Southern Africa is accelerating, and with it comes growing pressure on already‑fragile urban and peri‑urban ecosystems. In response to these challenges, the Centre for Community Organisation andMzuzu Meet for Urban Development
“Amakhala ku Blantyre, koma amagona mothinana! Amakhala ku city iii, koma amagona pa masaka!” (They live in Blantyre, but live in congestion They stay in the city, but they
A Collective Action to Transforming Housing for the Urban Poor in Lilongwe, Malawi
On 18th October 2024, I had the privilege of visiting one of SDI. (Slum Dwellers International) affiliates, the Centre for Community Organisation and Development (CCODE) in Lilongwe, Malawi. As urban