Challenges
Dhaka’s rapid urbanization has left over a third of the city’s population living in slums and informal settlements. Residents face dense and insecure housing, substandard sanitation, high risk of disasters, and limited livelihoods opportunities. Gaps in basic services such as unreliable electricity, illegal connections, inadequate waste management, and few open spaces, make them highly vulnerable to fires, floods, cyclones and other disasters.
Bhashantek, in Mirpur, exemplifies these challenges. Previous top-down government projects don’t meet community needs, leaving residents exposed and underserved. Integrated, community-led solutions are urgently needed to improve living conditions, resilience and access to essential services.
Dhaka’s rapid urbanization has left over a third of the city’s population living in slums and informal settlements. Residents face dense and insecure housing, substandard sanitation, high risk of disasters, and limited livelihoods opportunities. Gaps in basic services such as unreliable electricity, illegal connections, inadequate waste management, and few open spaces, make them highly vulnerable to fires, floods, cyclones and other disasters.
Bhashantek, in Mirpur, exemplifies these challenges. Previous top-down government projects don’t meet community needs, leaving residents exposed and underserved. Integrated, community-led solutions are urgently needed to improve living conditions, resilience and access to essential services.
Solution
This project takes a holistic and community-driven approach to upgrading the Bhashantek informal settlement.
- We will renovate/retrofit homes to be climate-resilient, improving safety and living conditions. This will include toilets, bath houses, drainage, and operational facilities to improve health, dignity and protection from climate risks while reducing waterborne diseases.
- Safe, gender-segregated WASH facilities will be built and/or repaired to improve hygiene and health. This ensures safe, dignified and accessible sanitation.
- Skill development in construction and income-generating opportunities will be provided to help residents stabilize and increase household income. Training and job linkages will reduce economic vulnerability and promote self-reliance.
- Disaster preparedness against fires and earthquakes will be strengthened through risk assessments, community drills, and awareness activities. Strengthen the community’s ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
- Innovative solutions, including eco-friendly construction materials, will be piloted. These will be tested and refined through monitoring and learning to support scalable upgrading models.
- Lessons learned will support with policy advocacy for inclusive urban development. Evidence and best practices will inform reforms that recognize informal settlers’ rights and promote participatory planning.
These combined actions aim to improve living conditions, enhance safety and resilience, increase household income, and establish a scalable model for informal settlement upgrading in Bangladesh.
The project will directly benefit approximately 1,000 households in Bhashantek informal settlement and will indirectly benefit 6,000 households in surrounding communities.
Timescale: The project is expected to be completed within 12 months.
This project takes a holistic and community-driven approach to upgrading the Bhashantek informal settlement.
- We will renovate/retrofit homes to be climate-resilient, improving safety and living conditions. This will include toilets, bath houses, drainage, and operational facilities to improve health, dignity and protection from climate risks while reducing waterborne diseases.
- Safe, gender-segregated WASH facilities will be built and/or repaired to improve hygiene and health. This ensures safe, dignified and accessible sanitation.
- Skill development in construction and income-generating opportunities will be provided to help residents stabilize and increase household income. Training and job linkages will reduce economic vulnerability and promote self-reliance.
- Disaster preparedness against fires and earthquakes will be strengthened through risk assessments, community drills, and awareness activities. Strengthen the community’s ability to prevent, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
- Innovative solutions, including eco-friendly construction materials, will be piloted. These will be tested and refined through monitoring and learning to support scalable upgrading models.
- Lessons learned will support with policy advocacy for inclusive urban development. Evidence and best practices will inform reforms that recognize informal settlers’ rights and promote participatory planning.
These combined actions aim to improve living conditions, enhance safety and resilience, increase household income, and establish a scalable model for informal settlement upgrading in Bangladesh.
The project will directly benefit approximately 1,000 households in Bhashantek informal settlement and will indirectly benefit 6,000 households in surrounding communities.
Timescale: The project is expected to be completed within 12 months.
Results and benefits
The project will improve living conditions and safety for residents of Bhashantek, while increasing access to safe, gender-segregated WASH services, including bath houses, drainage and operational facilities. Households will gain stable livelihood opportunities, reducing poverty and economic vulnerability.
Enhance community preparedness and response for fires and earthquakes and recognize informal settlers’ rights through participatory engagement for urban planning.
The project will also generate evidence-based knowledge and innovative solutions through systematic research, materials testing, evaluation and impact assessment, for sustainable informal settlement upgrading.
The project will improve living conditions and safety for residents of Bhashantek, while increasing access to safe, gender-segregated WASH services, including bath houses, drainage and operational facilities. Households will gain stable livelihood opportunities, reducing poverty and economic vulnerability.
Enhance community preparedness and response for fires and earthquakes and recognize informal settlers’ rights through participatory engagement for urban planning.
The project will also generate evidence-based knowledge and innovative solutions through systematic research, materials testing, evaluation and impact assessment, for sustainable informal settlement upgrading.
Long-term impact
Over time, health, well-being and safety will improve as families will live in climate-resilient homes with better WASH access, also reducing disaster risks. Women and children will particularly benefit from these improved housing conditions.
Community-driven approaches will strengthen local capacity and social inclusion will increase. Lessons learned will guide policy and best practices will be replicated across Bangladesh and beyond. Residents will gain the skills and structures to sustain facilities.
Successful implementation will also build stronger partnerships with the government, NGOs, and donors, supporting sustainable urban development.
Over time, health, well-being and safety will improve as families will live in climate-resilient homes with better WASH access, also reducing disaster risks. Women and children will particularly benefit from these improved housing conditions.
Community-driven approaches will strengthen local capacity and social inclusion will increase. Lessons learned will guide policy and best practices will be replicated across Bangladesh and beyond. Residents will gain the skills and structures to sustain facilities.
Successful implementation will also build stronger partnerships with the government, NGOs, and donors, supporting sustainable urban development.
Scale-up
With additional co-funding, this project could reach more vulnerable communities in Bhashantek, Dhaka, delivering climate-resilient housing, safe WASH facilities and sustainable livelihood support. Please get in touch to request a detailed proposal.
With additional co-funding, this project could reach more vulnerable communities in Bhashantek, Dhaka, delivering climate-resilient housing, safe WASH facilities and sustainable livelihood support. Please get in touch to request a detailed proposal.
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When you co-fund a project, you help transform lives. By building housing, we build beyond the physical homes: adequate living conditions have a powerful impact on the livelihoods, health, education and more of households and communities.
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Half of the global population living in poverty resides in Asia and the Pacific. To help address these issues, Build Beyond funds locally led initiatives to transform lives through improved housing conditions.