Slum Dwellers Leading the Way in Dhaka: Lessons for Political Actors

When a fire broke out in Kalyanpur, Dhaka, it was not the authorities who rushed in first.

It was Saleha, a woman leader, and a group of youth volunteers who ran towards the flames. Buckets in hand, they evacuated families, rescued belongings and calmed panicked neighbours. Saleha had spent years organising her community, ensuring people knew evacuation routes, identifying those who needed assistance and arranging access to first aid. That day, she saved lives.

For Saleha and others like her, this was not extraordinary. It was the outcome of a decade of community-led action. Dhaka's slums, home to more than 3.5 million people, are often described as congested, unsafe and chaotic. Such labels miss a fundamental truth. These settlements are engines of the city's economy, spaces of resilience and places where women and young people actively shape their futures.

For too long, policymakers have treated slum residents as passive recipients of aid or obstacles to urban development. The experience in Kalyanpur shows that when communities lead, change is not only possible, it is sustainable.

Over the past ten years, ActionAid Bangladesh has partnered with Nagor Dariddro Bostibashir Unnyan Sangstha (NDBUS), an organisation formed and led by slum residents. Their programme, Reducing Urban Poverty through People's Action (RUPA), was not about handouts. It was about power. Women and youth were supported to protect their rights, improve their neighbourhoods and claim leadership roles. This approach reflects localisation, locally led adaptation and Bangladesh's commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 on no poverty, SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 8 on decent work, SDG 11 on sustainable cities, SDG 13 on climate action and SDG 16 on inclusive institutions.

The results have been transformative. Saleha has become a community leader advocating for women's safety, reducing domestic violence and challenging harmful practices. She organised neighbourhood groups that prevented child marriage, created safe spaces for women to access sexual and reproductive health services and ensured their voices were included in local decision-making forums.

Yasin, a young man who completed his SSC, found purpose through the programme. Once directionless and at risk in informal labour, he now trains other young people in firefighting, plumbing and mobile phone repair. He dreams of running his own business. His journey illustrates the potential of youth leadership when opportunities are rooted locally.

Over the decade:

• 55 women and youth leaders emerged as negotiators, first responders and advocates
• 35 community groups were formed to address violence, child marriage, disasters and livelihood challenges
• Young people received technical and life skills training, enabling safer and more sustainable livelihoods
• Communities successfully negotiated for water, sanitation, electricity and roads, and often constructed facilities themselves

This is what locally led adaptation looks like. Urban climate risks such as fires, flooding, waterlogging and heat stress are lived realities, not abstract threats. When communities are organised, they respond faster and more effectively than top-down interventions. Adaptation is not only about infrastructure. It is about social organisation, leadership and dignity.

Yet despite these successes, urban governance continues to overlook slum dwellers as legitimate stakeholders. Evictions persist, social protection remains limited and informal workers struggle to access formal systems. Women and youth, even with their demonstrated leadership, remain excluded from policy processes.

The lesson is clear. Urban poverty and climate risk cannot be addressed from the top down. Governments, donors and political leaders must recognise organised urban poor communities as legitimate partners. When they do, services improve, trust deepens and cities become safer and more resilient. Ignoring these communities is not only unjust, it is ineffective.

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. Its cities can become spaces of inclusion or centres of deepening inequality. Political leaders can no longer treat slum residents as passive beneficiaries. They are citizens. They are voters. Increasingly, they are leaders shaping their own futures.

The experiences of Saleha, Yasin and their communities offer both a warning and a roadmap. People-led development works. Local leadership saves lives. If Bangladesh is serious about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, building resilient cities and reducing urban inequality, it must invest in women's and youth leadership and institutionalise community-driven approaches.

Because when communities lead, change endures. When politicians lead alone, it rarely does.