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It is impossible for any middle-class resident of Jakarta or any other big city in Indonesia not to notice the sprawling slums that exists in their midst. Even in up-market areas such as Ancol, million dollar homes sit side-by-side with hovels, the two sides of a coin that defines most developing countries.

But the divide is not something that cannot be bridged, and according to the latest UN-Habitat report some 227 million people in the world have managed to move out of slum conditions since 2000. This means that governments have collectively surpassed the Millennium Development target by 2.2 times. This may sound like a huge achievement worthy of much praise, but a look at the big picture shows the numbers do not tell the full story.

Over the same period, the number of slum dwellers has actually increased, from 776.7 million in 2000 to 827.6 million this year. The 227 million people who did move out of slum conditions did so because their neighborhoods were gentrified with the poor simply being evicted.

It is not immediately clear how many people live in slum conditions across the Indonesian archipelago, but given that nearly half the population lives on under $2 a day, it would only be logical to assume that the number would be significant. Anecdotally, urban slums in the country seem to be growing larger with each passing year.

The government has been trying to clean up some of these neighborhoods, but merely kicking the poor out is not the answer. To truly help slum dwellers improve their lives they must be given the right tools. This is a long-term process, but it is not impossible.

To start with, the government and private organizations must work harder to provide proper education for the children who live in these slums. Many smaller projects are currently underway, some led and funded by individuals, while others are funded and run by NGOs, but more can and should be done to help educate and equip these children for productive lives outside the slum.

Economic growth is the surest way to help more Indonesians leave the slums behind. With economic growth will come new jobs and greater opportunities. Parents with stable jobs who can afford to feed their children are more likely to keep them in school longer, instead of forcing them to work the streets or in other dangerous environments. If the children have the right skills, they too can find jobs upon leaving school.

Short of drastic action, according to the UN Habitat report, the world slum population will probably grow by six million people each year, thus widening the urban divide between rich and poor even further. Indonesia will continue to be a significant part of this trend unless we begin immediately to tackle the problem at its roots. It might take 50 years, but if we put in the right policies and foundations today, we can look forward to a day when slums no longer exist.