SPARC Sumudaya Nirman Sahayak (which in Hindi means SPARC 's Assistance to Collective Community Construction) or Nirman (SSNS) as it is known for short, was founded in 1998 by SPARC. It is a "Special Purpose Vehicle" set up by SPARC to take on the construction projects that are emerging from the collective activism of the Alliance of SPARC, the National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan (MM.) Nirman is a non-profit company that works in partnership with poor communities and only undertakes projects on the recommendation of the Alliance

Since 1984, the Alliance has been working with and supporting federations of the poor to be included in and have a say about the development of their cities. Initially this process sought to engage municipalities, the government and resource providing institutions to listen to what the poor had to say. Now that activism has lead to communities being able to recommend and head projects themselves. It is at this point that Nirman (SSNS) takes over what the federations began with assistance from SPARC.

The rationale for creating this separate entity to manage construction for the communities federated by the Alliance is that construction requires different specialisations and legal arrangements which SPARC, as a Trust, will be unable to undertake on a large scale. Currently, the director of SPARC is also the Chief Executive of Nirman. This is to demonstrate that the values and institutional arrangements within SPARC that produce partnerships with NSDF and MM will be reproduced seamlessly within Nirman (SSNS).

About the Alliance :

The Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC) is one of the largest Indian NGOs working on housing and infrastructure issues for the urban poor. In 1984 when SPARC was formed, it began working with the most vulnerable and invisible yet least acknowledged of Mumbai's urban poor - pavement dwellers. Its philosophy was that if an urban movement which had the poorest at its nucleus could demostrate significant change and success, other groups of the urban poor would also rally in solidarity.

Since 1986, SPARC has been working in Alliance with two community-based organisations - the National Slum Dwellers Federation and Mahila Milan. Today, the Alliance works in eleven states and over fifty cities.

The National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) was founded in the mid 1970s and is a national organisation of community groups and leaders that live in informal settlements around India. Its main aim is to mobilise the poor to come together, articulate their concerns and find solutions to the problems they face. Today the NSDF works with about half a million households in the country and networks with communities of the poor in thirteen countries throughout the world. In 2000, the President and founder of NSDF, A.Jockin, was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Mahila Milan means "Women Together" in Hindi and is a decentralised network of collectives of poor women that manage credit and savings activities in their communities. It is based on the recognition of the enormous potential that women's groups have in transforming relations within society and in improving the lives of poor families. It was initiated in 1986 when 500 women who lived on the pavement organised themselves to successfully prevent the demolitions of their homes. Today, Mahila Milan has total savings worth approximately 3 crores of rupees and has given nearly 15,000 loans worth approximately 4 crores of rupees. It also conducts informal trainings for women's collectives to play a greater role in community management. Mahila Milan leaders work with the NSDF on broader policy issues at state and city levels.

The roles of each member of the Alliance are clearly defined. The NSDF organises and mobilises the urban poor and negotiates with resource providing institutions, Mahila Milan (where the NSDF works) supports and trains women's collectives to administer and manage their community's resources and participate in NSDF activities, and SPARC provides the administrative, financial, policy and other supports necessary for these processes to be successful on the ground.

Our Goals :

The Alliance aims to create the institutional arrangements which mobilise large numbers of the urban poor and to support and strengthen their organisations. The overall goal for these community-driven organisations is to become an important part of the city system so that the poor can directly participate in how the city is managed.

The Alliance works in various ways towards expanding and building the capacities of the NSDF and MM. This involves facilitating peer exchanges between poor communities and their leaders, encouraging community-led ennumerations and surveys and supporting and advocating for community-initiated and driven projects and programmes. Furthermore, the Alliance works on pro-poor policy changes and strengthening dialogues, relationships and discussions between the poor and their local, regional and national authorities.

For more information on the Alliance please visit our website www.sparcindia.org