Our target reach is overwhelmed by multifarious challenges and problems. On many fronts, real time transformative change is only possible with government intervention which has within its reach, the capacity to mobilise adequate financial, technical and socio-political regimes that are crucial to this process. However, the wanton marginalization of these fringes by state institutions is often caused by excessive bureaucratic policies and practices which often hinder our advocacy agenda for pro-poor policy change and practices which have incrementally spiraled into extreme poverty and vulnerability over time. Therefore, to reverse this trend and effect the much anticipated transformative change, advocacy stands out to be most crucial and fundamental undergird to our work. Its fundamental drive is to mobilise platforms through which constructive engagements can be facilitated between the communities and local and state agencies to progressively effect policy and legal changes. Phenomenally, the issues of land tenure remain the most critical source of contention, which is also the most crucial resource that can either sustain or negate livelihood potentials and opportunities. Therefore, this drive will continue to be undergirded by our mantras inter alia, “remove the slum from the people and not the people from the slum” and, “upgrade where possible and relocate where necessary”, informed by our data collection efforts.
This will be achieved through the following strategies:
- Priority 1: Develop and operate an advocacy and communication strategy – We will develop our own advocacy and communication strategy which will significantly constitute inter alia, advocacy issues to be tackled and the engagement processes and procedures that would be adopted to communicate or facilitate issues.
- Priority 2: Update community data – We will undertake settlement profiling, community enumeration, and mapping to inform our engagement and communication processes.
- Priority 3: Strengthen our Know Your City TV (KYC TV) campaigns – We will strengthen the existing work of KYC TV and popularize the process and products.
- Priority 4: Organize seminars/conferences/exhibitions – We will organize seminars or conferences and exhibitions to demonstrate our potential and use the platform for engagement with relevant stakeholders.
- Priority 5: Participation in commemoration days – We will collaborate with other agencies to participate in relevant national, regional and global commemoration days