Hi. The fewer NGOs the better. Local everything that is, construction materials and technologies. Community building not "solutions"...not "interventions". 

And don't call it a slum...call it by the name the people who live there call it. Its not only an excuse for an architecture student as a case study/charity case. Itll be home to people.

There's a firm, Elemental, that has a pretty distinct approach to housing for low-income residents. Might want to check into that before applying the whole green lifestyle that probably doesn't apply to someone who lack basic resources and infrastructure. Don't assume what you want is necessarily what the community needs or desires. 

Slums and poverty aren't things you can solve by design alone, especially not with all those sugary concepts. Bio-what? Is it affordable? Be conscious of your target demographic and as tammuz said, refrain from making snap judgments as an outsider.

@tammuz thanks for the input, actually my case is with using local genius to optimise resources found in the slum.For instance with my case of the slum in Ghana,there is a water body nearby which is polluted as a result of activities by same slum dwellers,why can't we optimise and upgrade these natural resources to benefit them?they collect rainwater for use,we can think of a more optimised means of collect,as well with solar and many others.

@24arches thanks for the input too, i guess i've clarified on the issue at stake above.the target population is mostly made up of farmers who move from the villages during the non-farming season,with a water body we could think urban agric or something more,optimising the resources

@HandsumCa$hMoneyYo thanks exactly my case ,most of the slums are treasure troves of some sought.with resources which they use to earn a living which to other people may be garbage.So my idea is about optimising and upgrading resources

i hope i'm quite clear

hassanykb, then perhaps the evirons are your resource of info rather than a prescriptive theory. 

a scary book on slums is the famous Mike Davis Planet of Slums - but it doesn't work as a design guide really. 

perhaps we could brainstorm out a few categories:

1- spatial organization: how do you design for the familial and communal relationships already in place encouraging the benefits and mitigating the existing negatives? Removal and relocation is typically traumatic.

2-building technologies and methods (environmentally and socio-economically sustainable): what materials would you be using, what method of construction and, consequentially, what kind  of labour will you drag in? Are these endemic and available? By the way, have you thought of using earth/mud? Its readily available, sustainable, could be incorporated with other materials (for roofing, around apertures), not unfamiliar to ghana (http://ahiglobal.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/traditional-building-methods-in-southern-ghana/) and could be beautifully formed for projects that are progressive in ambition, environmental adaptability and appearance. Hassan Fathy's work is seminal.

3- sustainable resourcing: which you've pointed out as being a concern of ours. 

4- identifying community-specific issues: safety strong sense of community to counter problems) (how do you plan for a neighbourhood that maximizes a strong sense communal solidarity - again, proximity of family and neighbours,  hygiene, building spaces and equipment around communal activities and gatherings. 

you would already have a rich source of information in that community itself, you don't need books to show you the way...

Thanks tammuz for the reply,relocation is something i absolutely don't want to think about because from my studies so far , they are not as effective as they rob that chunk of people of their livelihood which is usually located close-by. For building technologies,the same population have shown the way which i think is rather ingenious as in they create these kind of wooden kiosks which are ubiquitous. The concept of that could be improved to allow for future upward extension as that is not possible with the way they do it at the moment. Sense of community is strong in view of the kind of initiatives they've taken on their own without outside support(schools,clinics etc).

I was referred to the book on the planet of Slums and yet to grab a copy, my fear was i wasn't coming up with any strong reference books and thought that was problematic in a way...i feel comfortable already .thanks so much for the inputs

hassanykb, your research would probably be most useful for you (sounds like already you're on your way). books might give you some substance to pad your  presentation with, perhaps a few insights...but i think you sound like you're pretty much on your way. 

by the way, where do they get the wood for the construction from? did you follow the chain of material extraction and thereafter the assembly? are their negative consequences to the environment that your contribution might alleviate? and are there obstacles in the process that you might alleviate? 

it sounds like an admirable project brief, best of luck on it. 

the wood is gotten from the local market,there's a vibrant timber industry,nonetheless i might look into bamboo cultivation and harvesting as it grows naturally around.thanks for the brainstorming has been really fruitful