Jockin Arputham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jockin Arputham has worked for more than 40 years in ‘slums’ and shanty towns, building representative organizations into powerful partners with governments and international agencies for the betterment of urban living. Arputham is the president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation and of Slum Dwellers International a World Bank and USAID endorsed international NGO that has built thousands of houses around the world. He is currently residing in Mumbai. He was the winner of the 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding. He is well known for his charisma and excellent public speaking.

1 Biography
2 Other important shack/slum dweller leaders
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Biography

Jockin Arputham was born to Tamilian parents in Bangalore,India, in 1947. In 1963 he moved to Mumbai where he worked as a carpenter and building contractor. He quickly became involved in community action within the settlement where he lived and worked, organising efforts to get the household wastes collected, setting up informal schools for children, and establishing water connections.^[1]

In 1976 the settlement of some 70,000 people in which he lived were made the subject of an eviction order, however under the leadership of Arputham the eviction order was successfully fought and the National Slum Dwellers Federation was established to protect slum dwellers and promote the development of slum areas.