Can slums really improve people’s lives for the better? A new web documentary series produced by Dutch journalist Ralf Bodelier has found that rural dwellers in countries like Malawi often view slums as a way to emerge from extreme poverty. In a separate blog post, Bodelier recounts the dynamism and opportunity in the Ndirande slum in Blantyre, Malawi. This accompanying photo blog gives a snapshot of life inside Ndirande.

Ralf Bodelier is journalist, writer and philosopher who lives in the Netherlands and Malawi. Watch the 12-part web documentary series: Slums. Engines Behind the Development Goals which was subsidised through a grant from the European Journalism Centre. Follow him on Twitter @RalfBodelier.

The views expressed in this post are those of the authors and in no way reflect those of the Africa at LSE blog or the London School of Economics and Political Science.