Founder president of National Slum Dwellers Federation Jockin Arputham passed away on October 13 at Sion Hospital, Mumbai. He was 71. His funeral is scheduled for 4 pm on October 15 at St. Peter and Paul Church Rayapuram in Chennai. For Arputham, the mission was to give dignity to the residents of ghettos across 37 countries.
Redeveloping slums, providing them access to water and sanitation, and forming savings groups were some of his initiatives — all with the participation of the community and cooperation of the state machinery. His work earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize 2014, which eventually was shared by fellow Indian Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan. He had won other prestigious awards including Magsaysay award in 2001, Padma Shri award in 2014, Skoll award in 2015. Arputham was invited by His Holiness Pope Francis to organize the world popular movements, from Vatican.
According to SDI, around 1 million people have benefitted from the 15,000 slum dwellers-managed saving groups. The movement is said to have secured land rights for 128,000 families, built over 20,000 toilets, and 100,000 houses. He firmly believed that women empowerment went a long way in mobilizing the community. Arputham’s leadership came to the fore when he mobilized 70,000 inhabitants of Janata colony against an eviction drive in 1976.
Source: www.mattersindia.com
