Civic Participation
Slum Dwellers Association (SDA) Capacity Building Programme
2024

In 2019, Janaagraha — in partnership with the Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha and GIZ India — undertook a comprehensive capacity building programme for leaders of Slum Dwellers Associations (SDAs). A part of the Jaga Mission, this programme aimed to develop the capacity of SDA leaders to manage their communities and to transform SDAs into the ‘fourth tier of governance’.  

This report is a comprehensive capture of the programme, which adopted a cascading capacity-building approach and equipped more than 7,700 grassroots leaders across 3,000 slums, impacting 1.8 million people. Notably, more than 50% of the trained leaders were women, promoting gender-inclusive and participatory leadership. 

Through the development of standardised training modules and a robust network of qualified trainers, the programme has created sustainable pathways for knowledge transfer and community-led development, establishing a replicable model for participatory urban governance reform.