The National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) in India was established by Jockin Arputham when he fought on behalf of a community of 70,000 to appeal a 1976 eviction order. In the 1980s NSDF formed an alliance with Mahila Milan and SPARC, and this alliance became the basis for establishing Slum Dwellers International in 1996. Jockin Arputham has worked for more than 40 years in slums and shanty towns, building representative organizations into powerful partners with governments and international agencies for the betterment of urban living.