Most of the articles in this edition of Footsteps look at major changes in the lives of slum dwellers. But this change has not always come from outside and has rarely involved outside funding. It has resulted largely from the impact of mobilised groups and communities. It has come as a result of people putting pressure on local authorities in order to receive their basic human rights in terms of access to water, shelter, sanitation and education. As some groups achieve results, so they can have a considerable impact on other new groups.
