Volume 4 of the six-volume series explores community experiences of being trained in financial management in order to handle the funds required to rebuild their homes following typhoon Yolanda.
The series is jointly published by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‐Habitat) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) in their effort to encapsulate the community and household partners’ experience with the People’s Process during their Post‐Yolanda Support for Safer Homes and Settlements project.
Introduction
The monetary grant from the Government of Japan and the Department of Social Welfare and Development played an integral part in the success of the Post-Yolanda Support for Safer Homes and Settlements project. It fuelled the project to achieve its goals of constructing disaster-resilient houses and implementing site development plans. But more than the funds, the project’s success was due to the community partners’ proper fund disbursement and transparent transactions.
One of the principles of the People’s Process is to let the communities handle their own funds, with monitoring and supervision from UN-Habitat. Before embarking on this huge task, finance and committee heads were given sufficient financial literary trainings, since most of them had not encountered bank transactions. The BDO Foundation was with the household partners in every step of the way. Other communities did not have savings, so handling millions of cash was an entirely new concept to them.
Some communities had haunting experiences of financial management. With the proper guidance from UN-Habitat and other partners, the communities accomplished the task with flying colors. The experience also inculcated the value of saving and paying the monthly dues on time. It has greatly improved the communities’ collection for the monthly amortization needed in paying for their loans through the Social Housing Finance Corporation’s (SHFC) Community Mortgage Program (CMP). Furthermore, the project has given these communities experiences no amount of money can buy— community trust and transparency.
About the series
This publication series is an avenue to share the fruits of practicing People’s Process as it promotes strong relationships within the community and various bodies in the project, transforms communities even up until the household level, develops trust through a transparent financial mechanism, lays the groundwork for resilience and sustainability, and creates community leaders.
Through the stories of the people in this publication series, it is our hope that local governments, communities, and other stakeholders realize the viability and value of the People’s Process as an empowering principle and sustainable method of recovery and community development in their own localities or contexts.
Download here: People’s Process in Shelter Recovery: Financial Savvy and Transparency
Date published: December 2015
Publication type: Project reports
Or download the full 6-volume series here.
