Beyond Urban Relocation? Expectations and concerns of children and caregivers in Addis Ababa and Hawassa

The urban landscape in Ethiopia is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation, with whole neighborhoods in the centre of major cities being cleared for urban development. The urban renewal programme has the objectives of both promoting urban growth and providing improved housing for the urban poor.

This report is a result of interviews with children and their caregivers who are living in the areas that are due to be redeveloped. Their opinions, fears, and hopes about the project and the prospect of moving are explored. Divided into six sections, the report provides a general introduction as well as providing answers to the following:

• To what extent are children and adults aware of the plans for relocation, from whom have they heard about it, and when do they expect the move to take place
• What do children and adults know of other people who have already been relocated, and how they have fared
• What are the expectations of children and caregivers about the problems posed by the process of moving and the expected problems and opportunities in a new setting
• What are the overall expectations of children and caregivers about their life after relocation

From the answers given and an analysis, conclusions are provided along with potential policy implications.