With this in mind, Lumanti Support Group for Shelter established the Urban Resource Center (URC) in 1997.

Lumanti is a non-government organization dedicated to the alleviation of urban poverty in Nepal. Lumanti works with poor urban communities to improve shelter conditions and help people advocate for their rights.

What is URC?

The URC is a place where people can come to access information, share ideas and gain support for developments relating to urban poverty.

URC's vision….

All people have easy access to information which will help them make informed decision as they take part in the development of their communities.

URC's mission……

• To create a place where people can come to share information and receive support and advice on where and how to access information.
• To help the urban poor advocate for the recognition of their rights, particularly the right to housing.

The URC undertakes a wide range of activities including:

• collecting, processing, documenting and sharing information relevant to urban poverty
• creating linkages and networks among urban actors in Nepal and internationally
• sustaining a local forum for open and honest discussion
• raising awareness and generating support for issues of urban poverty
• promoting the formal recognition of the rights of the urban poor
• encouraging the urban poor to advocate directly with authorities for the recognition of their rights
• supporting young people interested in urban development
• publishing local and organizational newsletters

Haamro Baithak (Open Forum)

The URC is committed to providing up-to-date, relevant information to all people interested in urban poverty and finding solutions to it.

Importantly, the URC has recognition that illiteracy remains a huge hurdle in the effective dissemination of information. As a result, innovative forms of information transfer have been developed such as the monthly Open Forum, Haamro Baithak.

Haamro Baithak is held at Lumanti on last Sunday of the Nepali Calendar month. The topics include discussions on advocacy, security of tenure, legal rights for women, property rights and more. Guest speakers who are experts in these fields are also invited to attend and share their experiences and knowledge.

All participants are encouraged to participate in the forums and share the information they learn at these forums with their families and friends.

Advocacy

Advocacy is an intervention strategy for social change. Advocacy does not aim to change people, but rather it aims to change systems and the way they relate to people.

Aims of Advocacy...

The aims of the URC's advocacy strategy include :

• promoting the formal recognition of the rights of the urban poor
• raising awareness and generating support for issues of urban poverty
• generating community support for issues of urban poverty
• creating a forum for open and honest discussion
• getting important issues on to the political agenda
• encouraging the urban poor to advocate directly with concerned authorities

Activities of Advocacy

In a bid to change the way systems in Nepal relate to the urban poor, we have begun documenting poor urban communities. This involves formally mapping the communities, numbering the houses, surveying the residents, producing Family Identification Cards and conducting community meetings.

In addition, much research is needed and many meetings have been held with authorities in an attempt to sensitize decision-makers to the need to include the urban poor development strategies.

Volunteering at the URC

Volunteers are valuable asset to any organization. They can offer fresh insights and new skills, as well as their enthusiasm and time. As one of the URC's aims is to support young people interested in issues of urban development, we particularly encourage students to volunteer at Lumanti. This does not mean, however, that older people are discouraged from volunteering. Indeed, we welcome their experience.

At Lumanti, the URC is responsible for organizing, supporting and encouraging volunteers. While we encourage volunteerism, we do recognize that the work we do with the urban poor is very sensitive. For this reason, we are very conscious about taking on appropriate volunteers.

People interested in volunteering at Lumanti are required to meet with URC staff to learn about Lumanti's work and issues of urban poverty. Following this, the potential volunteer is encouraged to think about what sort of project they would like to be involved in. This includes how many hours they would like to volunteer and how regularly.

Lumanti has a volunteer policy which includes the rights and responsibilities of volunteers and Lumanti.

Since it's inception, the URC has been networking with other resource centers, organizations and individuals interested in urban poverty and devising ways of to combat it.

Networking

The URC believes that by meeting with other urban actors and sharing ideas, information and experiences, the issue of urban poverty can be dealt effectively.

Organizations and individuals are encouraged to make contact with the URC in a bid to break down the "information gap" that has emerged in civil society.

To this end, the URC welcomes visitors, contribution and comments.

The URC has a wealth of resources on issues such as:
· Aid and development
· Architecture
· Gender
· Good governance
· Human settlements
· Squatters
· Urban poverty
· Urbanization
· Woman's issues
· And more

URC Resources

These resources include books, newsletters, reports, studies, magazines, videos, maps and photos.

Though the resources are not lent out, people are welcome to come and use them at the URC.

Information Materials Available at Urban Resource Center of Lumanti:

• Children
• Development
• Environment
• General
• Government
• Health, Water and Sanitation
• Microfinance
• Report
  • Lumanti Report
  • Misereor
• Social Science
• Training Manual
• Urbanization
• Women
• CDs
• VCDs