What are informal settlements?

Informal settlements are places where people live when they don't have a proper home or neighborhood.

Imagine you're playing with blocks, you build a little house for yourself on the floor of your room. Now imagine that hundreds, even thousands of kids do this in one big area, but instead of being inside a room, they’re outside, maybe near a city. That’s kind of what happens in informal settlements.

In some cities, people don’t have houses or apartments yet. So, they build small homes, sometimes with cardboard, plastic, or even just blankets, right next to each other on land that isn’t officially for living. This area becomes like a big playground made of homes, where families live close together and help each other out.

These settlements often grow quickly, especially when many people move from the countryside to the city looking for work. They use what they have, bricks, wood, or even just bits of old things, to make small houses that fit together like puzzle pieces.

Sometimes these neighborhoods are near a road or a market, so it’s easier for people to go to work and buy food. It's not always perfect, but it works, and sometimes, it becomes part of the city!