A central part of the endemic poverty found across the developing world and the conditions of slum communities stems, in part, from a general denial of formal financial opportunities to large segments of the population. Slum-dwellers suffer from insecure tenure, inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and other infrastructure, as well as a poor structural quality of housing construction, and overcrowding. Solving the problems inherent to these informal housing communities represents a key part of improving the general quality of life for significant segments of the underserved population.