This story originally appeared in our May 5th, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe

An innovative education model in Bhopal shows one way to give poor urban children access to a quality education.

The Organization for Awareness of Integrated Social Security (OASiS) is a social innovations lab in India where people can experiment with ideas on social development and ultimately become social entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 2003, OASiS has developed five social innovations: a social security system, an insurance system for the disabled, a social credit system, a forest village integrated development model and an education model for the children of urban slums called the Museum School. » Continue reading “The Museum School”

Many Indian cities today are facing trouble accommodating the continuously expanding urban poor population due to the constant inflows of rural migrants. India is home to 52,000 slums with 8 million households and many millions more living on the streets. To find housing solutions for this low-income population has long been part of the country’s national agenda. However, nation-wide efforts to provide affordable housing to the urban poor may be missing the real need of the urban low-income population.

In 2009, the government announced the Rajiv Awas Yojana, a housing scheme that accords property rights to the urban low-income population and slum dwellers. It will allow them to construct and own homes, with the lofty aim to eliminate slums from Indian cities in five years.

» Continue reading “To Rent or Buy – The Housing Ownership Myth”