Accountability and Responsiveness in Informal Settlements and Equality (ARISE)

The ARISE Hub – Accountability and Responsiveness in Informal Settlements for Equity – was a research consortium, set up to enhance accountability and improve the health and well-being of marginalised populations living in urban informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries. This 5-year project involved 10 partners across India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, the project engaged residents of Cockle Bay, Dworzark, and Moyiba informal settlements to identify their health priorities; their social, political, economic and health vulnerabilities; their trust in and access to a range of governance actors; the ‘everyday politics of access to services’; their capacity, support networks and accountability strategies; and their priorities for action through mixed method drawing on community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches. That effort systematically documented the health and well-being challenges faced by residents, informing co-produced actions for sustainable improvement. Through a Responsive Challenge Fund, ARISE provided small grants to test innovative approaches to improving health and well-being linked to its Theory of Change. In Sierra Leone, responsive funds were allocated to address emerging vulnerabilities from the spread of COVID-19 and the response measures instituted by the government of Sierra Leone targeting the three informal settlements. SLURC, CODOHSAPA/FEDURP & COMAHS jointly implemented the Responsive fund.