COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AT SCALE: GRASSROOTS WOMEN DEMONSTRATING SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES

The Global Community Resilience Campaign Our “Resilience diamond” represents our holistic approach to community resilience based on movement building. The members of our campaign in 23 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, work in partnerships with local, national, regional a global stakeholders to build the capacities of their communities to address risks, vulnerabilities and adapt to climate change through these four integrated objectives.

Our mechanisms for building resilience I Community Resilience Fund Is a financial mechanism that channels flexible funds for grassroots women to develop their practices and leadership skills. Strategically invested in disaster-prone communities, the CRF enables grassroots women in rural and urban areas to demonstrate effective solutions to reduce vulnerabilities to disaster threats such as severe storms, flooding, landslides, drought among others.

Our mechanisms for building resilience II Community Practitioners Platform Is a networking and partnership mechanism that brings together different local, national, and regional stakeholders committed to supporting community-led resilient development by accelerating grassroots women’s public role in decision- making processes and scale up the gains of the development innovations and practices promoted by the Community Resilience Fund.

Our numbers and gains Working in 23 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean 1,158 Communities implementing community Resilience Practices More than 5,000 women have been supported by the CRF Multiple institutional partners members of the Community Practitioners Platform Women are changing the stereotypes in their communities and countries – from victims of disasters to experts and active agents of resilient development Power relationships have been shifted – Women are sitting in decision-making spaces and grounding policies and programs in disaster-prone communities Women have created and strengthened cross-community and cross-country networks to share knowledge and scale-up practices

Sustainability and scalability of our actions Grassroots women have long-term agendas even if their entry points are sometimes short-term projects such as reclaiming water source or biogas programs. This is because the women are committed to empowering themselves in order to reduce their vulnerabilities to climate fluctuations and large-scale disasters. For grassroots women, scaling up is closely related to replication, with social mobilization as the underlying drive to shift their marginality and redress gender inequalities. Grassroots women’s scaling up combines both geographical expansion of coverage (i.e. horizontal scaling up) as well as institutional adoption of the program through governments, donors, and NGOs, (i.e. vertical scaling up)

Grassroots stories of success The practices are women centered and promote long-term processes of empowerment focused on capacity and skills building for individual women and their organizations address issues that affect women’s position in communities in relation to DRR and climate change The practices have tangible results that can be sustained over time results in reduction of existing vulnerabilities can continue in the absence of external funding The practices have demonstrated significant capacity to be adapted locally in different contexts the groups tailored the practices in accordance to their economic, social political and cultural context they show adaptation developed from sustained organizing and collective analysis

KENYA – Grassroots Women Mobilize to Find Sustainable Sources of Energy

NICARAGUA – Sustainable Agriculture Led by Grassroots Women in Jinotega

HONDURAS – Sustainable Cultivation and Use of Moringa for Resilient Development

INDIA – Sustainable Agriculture and Revival of Waters