Building future resilience by learning from community responses to COVID-19
The Climate and Development Knowledge Network, co-funded by IDRC and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, and the Global Resilience Partnership, quickly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by joining forces in the “Voices from the Frontline” initiative, which collects and shares stories of building community resilience in response to the pandemic.
By examining responses to COVID-19 by communities in developing countries, the initiative gleans lessons and best practices that can also be applied to building community resilience to climate emergencies. For example, in India, women community leaders are extending support to migrant communities during the pandemic, while others are offering help in an informal settlement where the government will not. In Kenya, local radio stations are helping to raise awareness of COVID-19 and gender-based violence. In Nepal, a local network is using multi-way communication to eliminate information gaps during the pandemic between citizens and the government and it is debunking rumours.
By capturing and documenting these stories in real time, Voices from the Frontline is helping organizations learn from community responses and build resilience as the world faces the even longer-term challenge of climate change.