What is Lumanti?

LUMANTI was registered in 1993 as a non profit making organization with Chief District Administration Office and Social Welfare Council in Kathmandu. LUMANTI support group is a non-government organization dedicated to the alleviation of urban poverty in Nepal through the improvement of shelter conditions.

The initiative started by a small group of individual who once were involved in welfare and awareness raising initiatives in the informal squatter settlements in Kathmandu, following the workshop on 'The Issues of Squatter Settlements' in 1990 led by Dr. Ramesh Manandhar (well respected and accomplished architect and planner). The group were once again inspired to come together in 1993 after the sudden demise of Dr. Manandhar in the Thai airbus crash, to take forward his dreams of 'secured shelter for the poor' by establishing an institution named 'LUMANTI' which literally means “memory” in the Newari dialect (dialect of local newari community).

“Like farmers have a right to farmland and fishermen have a right to fish in the sea, people have a right to decent shelter; be this in rural or urban areas”

Following this deep belief of late Dr. Manandhar, LUMANTI is dedicated to ensure secured shelter for the urban poor, where shelter means not just a house but connotes a much broader holistic understanding of habitat which include cultural, historical, social, economic, political, legal, environmental, physical and territorial aspects.

The major initiatives of LUMANTI are settlement enhancement and housing projects, saving and credit activities, water, health, hygiene and sanitation interventions, education programmes, documentation and advocacy, research and surveys on squatter settlements and urban issues including community organisation and mobilisation activities. LUMANTI operates with the core value and belief of:

• Creating spiritual attitude and behaviour not in the religious sense but in abroader sense of empathy and good and pure feeling for each other, for whom LUMANTI work and with whom LUMANTI works
• Creating a happy environment where work is not taken as a burden but as a contribution to the larger good of human being.

Lumanti works in urban poor communities in 9 municipalities.

VISION

The urban poor are living in improved shelter and socio-economic condition with increased self-dignity.

MISSION

• Enhancement of socio-economic condition of the poor in urban areas
• Improvement of shelter condition of the poor in the urban areas

GOALS

1. Improvement in the quality of life of the urban poor and marginalized people
2. Great solidarity among urban poor through network of CBOs and NGOs
3. Secured shelter of the urban poor and marginalized people