A1.4: Agazi Tiumelissan & Alula Pankhurst: Beyond Relocation: Expectations and Concerns of Children and Caregivers in four Young Lives Urban Sites in Ethiopia

Presentation to IDS – Unicef (ROSA) ConferenceIDS, UK

9 June 2014

Agazi Tiumelissan and Alula Pankhurst

Beyond Urban Relocation: Expectations and Concerns of Children and

Caregivers in Four Young Lives Sites in Ethiopia

Session A1: Wellbeing and Multidimensional Poverty Presentation: 4

Outline• Introduction: changing context

• Sites, samples, methods

• Knowledge about relocation plans

• Knowledge of other relocatees

• Expectations about relocation

• Anticipation of changes after relocation

• Conclusion

• Policy implications

IntroductionYoung Lives

• Longitudinal study; four countries

• Quant 4 rounds and qual 4 rounds

• Sub studies: OVC, school survey, child

labour, relocation

• Ethics: anonymity (sites and names)

• Rationale for relocation sub-study

• Two papers and briefs already published

http://www.younglives-ethiopia.org/publi

cations

Changing urban context

• Large-scale urban redevelopment program underway in major Ethiopian cities.

• Removal of ‘slum’ areas

• Making way for government and private investment

• Condominium low cost housing projects in theory for those displaced and low income

• Some in same areas most in suburbs

Some Young Lives urban sites at risk

• Young lives site selection pro-poor criteria

• 2 of the 3 sites in the capital city in areas destined for destruction; 1 in the outskirt

• 1 site in Hawasa, capital of Southern Region likewise

Aims of the study

• Better understanding of context prior to relocation as “baseline” to comprehend changes later

- Home environment - Neighbourhood - Community networks

• Knowledge and views about the relocation

• Concerns, fears, hopes, aspirations• Views about moving to condominiums

Study design

• Four sites in two cities• 3 due for demolition • 1 “control” site in Addis

• Full sample quant survey of Young Lives households and older and younger cohort children

• Qual sub-sample protocols with caregivers and children

• Interviews and discussions with officials, community leaders, caregivers and children

Fieldwork • Carried out February 2012• 12 quant researchers using PDAs• Total 918 quant interviews • in the four sites (over 100 children and

caregivers per site)• 158 qual in-depth interviews (20 children

and caregivers per site)• 28 group discussions with children,

caregivers and community leaders (7 per site)

• Additional interviews with cases already moved to condominiums

Research papers

• 1) Home, neighborhood and support networks.

• 2) Views about prospective move to condominium housing

• 3) Attitudes and aspirations about the impending relocation

Knowledge about relocation plan (1)

Different rationales for relocation

• Urban development

• Investment

• Condominium housing

• Even control site small-scale road and

investment

• Bertukan ‘to make the city clean and green’

‘sold by lease’;

• Mendirin ‘investors’;

• Leku ‘high rise buildings’

Knowledge about relocation plan (2)Information about relocation

• Overall almost 1/2 children and caregivers

heard that the area is due to be demolished

• highest Menderin over 80% for both

• Some heard it from kebele official and others

from different sources (parents, friends, at

school)

• In Bertukan one caregiver heard about it

before 10 years while another heard before

16 years

• In Bertukan registration was going on

regarding type of house ownership and

condition and desired housing

Knowledge about relocation plan (3)Information about relocation

• In Bertukan one girl:

I knew about relocation last Sunday when I read

the letter my mother brought from Kebele after

attending a meeting’.

• In Bertukan one caregiver:

‘People from the Kebele came recently going door

to door asking three groups of questions – about

house ownership, the condition of our houses, and

finally what kind of house we would want, but

they did not say when relocation might happen’.

Resettlement promises…

Resettlement promises

• A little less than half the caregivers said

promises were made

• Promises include: mainly replacement of housing

and monetary compensation,

• less about access to electricity, water, health

care and education

• Those living in rented house or who are debal

(sub-renters) are afraid of the prospect of

relocation

Knowledge about timing of relocation

Timing of relocation• Less than a fifth of caregivers said they know

when relocation happens• About 30% said it would happen after a year• Site differences• Bertukan: skepticism: repeated mention, ongoing

development, area not suitable river• Menderin: expected since local development

stopped, neighbouring areas already destroyed• Leku: less likely as resistance and allegations of land

corruption cases, land for relocation not settled, conflict

• Duba: some for road considered likely soon

Knowledge of other relocated people (1)

Residence of relocated people

• Almost half of the caregivers know other

people who are relocated (high in Bertukan

and Menderin)

• Most said they are living in condominiums in

the outskirts; less in condominiums in same

area

• Others said in kebele housing

• Other options very few (private rental, other

urban areas)


Change of life of relocated people

• >50% of children and about 44% of caregivers

said the change is positive

• Less than a fifth said the change was mainly

positive and negative in some ways.

• Improvement in housing and other services

• But most are not happy over loss or breakup

of social ties and especially work

opportunities in areas in outskirts of city.



• In Bertukan people relocated due to the

expansion of a primary school, relocated

together in Kebele house, good condition• In Bertukan one older girl:• ‘three families who moved to condominium

housing in the same neighbourhood said ‘they did not like living up in the sky’.

• Older boy• ‘Relocatees unhappy about loss of social ties

but women like being near vegetable market’.



• In Leku an older boy said: ‘I know families who were relocated due to the construction of a fuel station. They were provided with good houses. But it is very far from town and they have a problem of electricity and water’.

• Other children and caregivers mentioned people

liked the improvement in housing and some of

the services, but not the disruption of social ties

and lack of working opportunities and distance

from the centre.

Anticipation of problems in moving • Finding a place to live, mentioned by more

than half caregivers and children• Cost of moving and practicalities was also

mentioned• Small house, theft, property damage• An older cohort girl in Betukan said We might face difficulties to find a house to live in. Even

when a place is found moving by itself is very tough. If we are given a small house we will face difficulty as we have many things.’

• But another older cohort girl said ‘There will be no problem at all while moving. There

cannot be a greater problem than the current living area.’

• An older cohort boy: ‘Kebele houses in the inner city are good, but on the

outskirts housing is very difficult. A house rented from individuals is worse and we cannot afford it.’

Anticipation of problems in new area (1)

• Adapting to the new area, finding friends and

helpers, establishing relations with neighbours,

finding work in new area

• One elderly caregiver in Bertukan said:

‘though I signed the willingness form to leave the

area, honestly speaking, I would prefer dying

before I leave this neighbourhood at my age.’

• Qual: housing, temporary shelter, infrastructure

and services (esp. in Leku), education, cost of

living, social disarticulation, separation from

family and access to work


Adapting t

o the n

ew ar

ea

Finding f

riends a

nd helpers

Estab

lishing g

ood relati

ons with

neighbours

Finding w

ork nea

r livin

g area

Cost of tr

ansp

ort to prev

ious work

Availa

bility o

f tran

sport

to previous w

ork

Access

to educa

tion

Access

to places

to play

Access

to wate

r

Access

to health

care

0102030405060708090

100

Anticipated problems (children)

BertukanMenderinLeku

Problems

Per c

ent


0 2 4 6 8 10 120

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Anticipated problems (children)


Problems

Per c

ent


Adapting t

o the n

ew ar

ea

Finding f

riends a

nd helpers

Estab

lishing g

ood relati

ons with

neighbours

Finding w

ork nea

r livin

g area

Cost of tr

ansp

ort to prev

ious work

Availa

bility o

f tran

sport

to previous w

ork

Access

to educa

tion

Access

to wate

r

Access

to health

care

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Anticipated problems (caregivers)


Problems

Per c

ent


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Anticipated problems (caregivers)

BertukanMenderin

Problems

Per c

ent


• Transport cost and availability,

• access to education,

• water and health care

• Places to play

• housing, infrastructure and services,

education, cost of living, social disarticulation

and access to work• One caregiver in Bertukan ‘Working conditions are going to be difficult especially

for the poor. Most people here lead a hand to mouth kind of life; they buy something and sell it at a price that is a bit higher. This is the way they survive.’

Anticipation of problems in new area (7)• Another caregiver from the same site said: ‘For

our kind of life, Bertukan is the best. We survive! I don’t think I can survive anywhere else. It would be good if they redevelop this area and put us back here. I do not think that we will have a better life anywhere. Here we have the means, we have something to do. If we go somewhere else and try to come work here, our earnings will be gone for transport.’

• Another caregiver in same site said: ‘Here if we do not have injera, we borrow from our neighbours and we do not sleep on an empty stomach. But if we are moved to a place we do not know with new people, it worries me very much. For me to be relocated to another area, out of Bertukan is like losing my life, dying. People who have been living together should be given the honour to bury each other when they pass away’.

Opportunities in the new area (1)In degree of importance for children and their

caregivers

• Improved sanitation (three-fourth of children

and two-third of caregivers)

• improved housing (three-fourth of children

and a little less than two-third of caregivers)

• Less pollution, better environment for

upbringing children, safer environment/less

crime and improved water access

• Better health facility and better education

• New work opportunity came last

Opportunities in the new area (2)

Impro

ved sanita

tion

Impro

ved housing

Less

pollution

Better enviro

nment for u

pbringing of c

hildre

n

Safer enviro

nment/less

crime

Impro

ved wate

r acce

ss

Better health

facil

ity

Better educa

tion facil

ity

New work opportu

nity0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Opportunities in the new area (children)

Bertukan Menderin Leku

Opportunities

Per c

ent


Improve

d sanita

tion

Improve

d housing

Less

pollution

Better envir

onment for u

pbringin

g of c

hildren

Safer e

nvironment/l

ess cri

me

Improve

d wate

r acce

ss

Better healt

h facil

ity

Better educa

tion facil

ity

New work

opportunity

0102030405060708090

Opportunities in new area (caregivers)

Bertukan Menderin Leku

Opportunities

Per c

ent


• One younger cohort girl in Bertukan: ‘The house is going to be clean there will be

good drainage system for liquid waste disposal and there will also be a toilet for each family.

• One care giver in same site said: ‘Although I do not think there will be better

work opportunities than in Bertukan, I will be happy even if I move out of Addis Ababa. There will definitely be clean air, better health and education’.

She added ‘I will be able to raise my children in a better way, in a way I always wanted to, in a place free from addiction. And for me, I will be able to breathe clean air and live longer.’

Aspiration for the future (1)• Most of the children >60% hopeful for

a positive change

• Slightly lower among caregivers >50%

• Higher proportion in Bertukan and

Menderin (the range higher for

caregivers)

• About a fifth said mostly positive and

some negative

Aspiration for the future (2)• An older cohort boy in Bertukan said:

‘If we move to a bigger house, I will get a place to study and maybe even my own room, and I will get better results in school’

• Another older cohort boy in Menderin said that he appreciated the prospect of having his own room to himself.

• A caregiver from Bertukan said: ‘ with improved housing they would not be facing the problems of fleas and other parasites’.

Overall expectation about changes• Environment, sanitation and safety likely to

improve

• Most anticipate improvements

• However, in Leku some more pessimistic

• Housing, sanitation, water and kitchens

improvements

• Concerns with services:

• schooling, health care and transport

Social relations

• Work opportunities

• Views on differential adaptation: age, gender,

disability.

Conclusions (1) • Knowledge about relocation limited

• Expectations to outskirts not the centre

• Lack of clarity and transparency about

timing and process

• Children and caregivers generally

optimistic: cleaner safer environment,

better housing, sanitation

• Concerns: finding a place to live, work

opportunities, social disarticulation

Conclusions (2) • Relocation is welcomed by most though

some especially elderly do not want to

move

• Children and caregivers concerned about

water, education, health services leisure

and places for children to play.

• Availability and cost of transport to

schools and former work places.

• Breakup of social institutions, relations

with neighbours and friends.

Policy implications (1)

• Reserving a given proportion of land

for condominium and alternative

housing

• Housing ownership for all eligible

• Greater transparency in the

planning of urban development

• Carrying out relocated in stages

rather then large scale massive

displacement all at once


• Infrastructure in the new areas:

water, electricity, water, health,

education

• Linkages between housing services

and employment opportunities

• Spaces for kindergarten, space for

children to play, for youth activities,

open and green spaces


• Where relocation is inevitable

looking for ways to move families,

relatives, neighbours and closely

knit groups together

• Planning the process in stages and

informing people for preparation in

good time.

• Involving those likely to be affected

in decision making and rehousing

processes.

Related paper & policy brief

Below are the links to the full paper

and the policy brief respectively. • http

://www.younglives.org.uk/files/working-papers/wp126_beyond-urban-relocation

• http://www.younglives.org.uk/files/policy-papers/beyo

nd-urban-relocation-expectations-and-concerns-of-children-and-caregivers

http://www.younglives.org.uk/files/working-papers/wp126_beyond-urban-relocation



http://www.younglives.org.uk/files/policy-papers/beyond-urban-relocation-expectations-and-concerns-of-children-and-caregivers



A1.4: Agazi Tiumelissan & Alula Pankhurst: Beyond Relocation: Expectations and Concerns of Children and Caregivers in four Young Lives Urban Sites in Ethiopia

Documents

urban relocation

relocation concerns

relocation ethics

prospect of relocation

impending relocation

relocation plans knowledge

relocation substudy

children interviews