Apresentaçao na Conferencia da Global Compact da ONU na Rio+20
Autor: Cezar Busatto | Publicado: 2012-07-04T23:00:00-03:00

Rio+ 20 Chocolatao Experience
Inovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want
UNITAR UN Institute for Training and Research

The  experience of Chocolatao resettlement in Porto Alegre


DESCRIPTION

1. The Chocolatão is a very poor Community of 200 families living out of garbage collection downtown POA

2.The local government needed to resettle the community after a decision of the court of justice

3. The Community won the support of   Participatory Budget for its demand of a new place to live

4. Local government chose an area for the resettlement and obtained the money from federal government (My Home, My Life) to build the new homes 


CHALLENGES

6. The first challenge was mapping out all posible stakeholders interested in the ressetlement project

7. A sustainability network of all interested  stakeholders that wanted to help in the resettlment process was organized with the participation of community leaders since the beggining;  

8. The dialogue within the network begins identifying needs and assets : how each stakeholder can contribute with the project?

9.  The presence of private sector in the sustainability network is essential because it helps reinforcing a result-focused view and a strategic management process

10. The solution of problems at a city level is always a question of governance, not only goverment - social responsibility and committment of government, private sector , NGO's,  and communities

11. We call this methodology local solidarity governance  and it is the model of govermance of POA: a multi dimensional approach and not a sectorial approach to face the challenges of the city

12. Another challenge, especially for private sector: To be a partner is not only a question of giving money, but a question of real engagement in the sustainability network

13. The sustainability network took about four years preparing the community for the resettlement: the results come after a medium and long term process

14. Building an effective multi-stakeholder dialogue. Exemple: the need to engage state and federal government agencies to deal with drug dealers

15. Keeping adherence to the project; to get all partners mobilized, even with obstacles along the way

16. Helping to build leadership capacity in the community to empower it

17. Assuring a space for the community dwellers association have its headquarters within the resettlement area

18. Preparing the hosting community and public facilities ( health care centre, schools) to receive the new dwellers.


RESULTS : WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR

19.  A strong governance sustainability network with community, private sector, government and NGO's

20. Weekly meetings to discuss improvements for the community

21.  A housing project adapted to attend community  expectations: now the dwellers live in safer, bigger and better homes

22. A public childcare centre within the resettled area managed by a NGO

23. A recycling centre within the community - US$ 500.000 investment by a private partner,  which assures job for about 40 workers from the community

24. The monthly income of  the garbbage reciclers doubled in relation to the previous situation when they were garbbage pickers one year ago

25. We have now 190 workers in regular jobs(40 in the recycling centre and 150 in other activities in the city) versus 20 in the former location; another important contribution from private sector

26. Another private partner keeps a social educator within the recycle centre for training purposes

27. A NGO maintains a communitarian library within the now called Residencial Chocolatao

28. The Residencial Chocolatao has a multi-sports court and a small park for the joy of its dwellers

29.  Now families have an address and much higher self-esteem

30.  Due to its success,  the methodology has been recently replicated to other resettlement projects across the city which will benefit  5 thousand more families


CONCEPTION

The city is in fact a huge network of human beings connected to each other in an imense variety of ways

We need to work as a network to make successful changes to better life in the city.

We call a sustainability network a  distributed, horizontal, plural and dialogical connection among human beings based on the identity of common values or purposes.