Antecendentes de los tratamientos mediante termotermia y

It is obvious that the government does not value the basic human rights of its citizens. A different way of exposing this lack of regard is by examining the slum-clearance programme, which has bombarded the inner urban

environment over the past year. Although it is not directly related to NGOs, as are many other issues that have been discussed, it offers the view of

government officials and slum dwellers, helping us to understand the regime and the impossibility for NGOs to work with a RBA in the future.

The Land Development and Urban Renewal Project implemented in 2011 required the clearing of all inner city slum areas for redevelopment and private land sales (Addis Fortune, 2011). A participant from the Housing

Administration agreed to speak with me about the clearance project and the processes involved:

The process is good. People are well informed long before their homes are cleared. They have the opportunity to apply for a new condominium house, which is great for them. We will go and speak with them about how to apply and how long they will have to move. Usually they will have more than one year. He said there is some resistance, but

generally people are very excited at the prospect of a new home. Even if they are living on the outskirts of the city, they still get a new home so they should be happy with that and not cause trouble. We decided not to allow submissions for the project as it is happening anyway, so we just have to try and get the best solution for everyone losing their homes (Housing Administration representative)

Throughout the statement above, it is clear to see that the government is unwilling to engage with the slum-dwellers. The project is being carried out

from a very top-down perspective and the people whose homes are being cleared have no rights. Participants from the affected slums were then

interviewed, in order to gain their perspective and see if their rights were being realised throughout this disheartening process. Almaz lives in Arat Kilo. She is 61 and has lived in the area all her life. She tells of the following experience:

It is heartbreaking to leave but what can I do? We have no choice. I know about rights and I know the government is not treating us well. They cannot just tell us to move over night or take us to the outside of the city and leave us there with nothing as they do. I know everyone should live in a proper and clean house. But I have just 50 birr so what should I do? I have never experienced anything of this sort before (Almaz, 61, Slum Dweller).

In contrast to Almaz, fellow slum-dweller Etapharow paints a different picture. Before our interview she told us government officials had been doing surveys in the area and she checked on several occasions that we were not with them. Her answer may be a reflection of her fear:

The process is fair; we have had a few meetings with the local Kebele where they told us what would happen. Three hundred houses around mine have already been destroyed. The condominiums are expensive, but I will just wait and see if I can get the money somehow. I am really excited about moving to a new home and having a new life. The government has a good plan for the future (Etapharow, 40, Slum dweller).

An Ethiopian newspaper reported on the effects of the evictions and clearances:

In a country like Ethiopia, where social life is said to be stronger than individualism, eviction destroys many social values and helpful traditional institutions (Reta, 2012:2).

The slum clearance case helps us to exemplify the dire rights conditions inside the country. They solidify the view that the government has no tolerance or respect for the needs and rights of its people. Furthermore, it helps us to understand the hopelessness of NGOs attempting to empower people through rights.

6.5 Conclusion

This chapter has presented the research findings from the fieldwork phase, backed up by relevant literature. It has outlined the key roles that NGOs can perform in the provision of housing for the poor in Addis Ababa. It also

questioned whether NGOs were able to facilitate a RBA to housing within the urban setting. The contribution that NGOs can make to the housing crisis in Addis Ababa is limited, due to the overwhelming number of serious obstacles that they face. Operations within a climate that is riddled with oppression and fear are not conducive to a productive NGO. Inflation and population growth also pose serious threats to the ability of organisations wanting to provide for a costly sector, such as housing. The facilitation of a rights based approach is currently almost impossible in Ethiopia and those that engage with it risk serious ramifications that could lead to jail or deportation. The following chapter will now discuss these findings and draw conclusions.