Livelihood Framework: Understanding Poverty and Vulnerability and Coping Strategies of the Urban Poor in Dhaka

Livelihood framework suggests poverty as a product of interrelated factors such as low income, weakness, isolation vulnerability and powerlessness. This article is an investigation into the poverty and vulnerability relationship of the people living in the slums of Dhaka city. It presents an analysis of various factors that contribute to the vulnerabilities of the urban poor in Dhaka and explores their various adaptation or coping strategies in reducing their vulnerability. The article is based on data collected from 329 households in four different slums in Dhaka city. From the analysis it is found that the poor are vulnerable due to lack of education, skill as well as income and to cope with this vulnerability they adopt some strategies such as expenditure reducing living in a compromised housing condition, income raising by involving more family members in the workforce, getting involved in petty trading and other multiple economic activities, maintain social and kinship networks and getting them involved in NGO led community development activities.