Dallas Integrated Basic Urban Services Project

Dallas Integrated Basic Urban Services Project is an Umande Trust project funded by UN Habitat. The project is being implemented in Dallas Village, situated in Embu District of Eastern Province - 10 minutes walk from Embu Central Business District. Dallas has a population of more than 18,000 people, majority of whom are Muslims.  

The main aim of the project is to address basic urban services challenges in the Dallas area through an integrated process that will lead to interventions in the identified strategic areas.  The core focus of the project is the sanitation, flood control and livelihood issues with the aim of improving the urban environment and poverty alleviation. 

The project adopts an integrated approach that is expected to have a spiral effect resulting in an overall improvement of living standards within the community.

Core programme objectives

• Developing sustainable solutions to address the basic urban services and environmental challenges in Dallas, Embu Municipality, through a community led participatory planning process.
• Contribute to poverty alleviation through the formation and strengthening of self help groups, community mobilization and training, development of micro credit structures, and strategic visioning to help the community develop long term plans.
• Community visioning to assist the community to develop a strategic plan aimed at achieving the strategic goal.
• Work with the community to assess and select alternative solutions in order to develop possible solutions and strategies to be employ strategies in achieving shared vision.
• Problem identification and diagnosis through mobilization of the community to get their view of the problem as far perennial flooding of the dams within the settlement that often leads to destruction of property and displacement of people.
• Capacity of youth and women groups in the use of appropriate building technologies
• Documentation of lessons experience in order to capture the good practices, lessons learnt, information, methodologies for possible replication.
• Reporting to UNHabitat for progress.

Mobilization and profiling of groups is a key activity under this project. To date, 27 women and youth groups within the area have been mobilized and profiled. read more on the Dallas Women and Youth Initiative