CSOs for disaster resilience: empowering civil society and local communities to build resilience to hurricanes and climate extremes in the Eastern Caribbean

In the last decade, the Caribbean has experienced increasingly destructive hurricanes, with significant human, social, economic and environmental impacts. Ecosystem-based and community-based approaches which focus on conservation, sustainable management and restoration of natural ecosystems, and on engaging at-risk communities as part of the process to reduce disaster risk and help people and systems adapt, have become increasingly important. The project recognises the need for more effective engagement of local communities and civil society organisations (CSOs) in disaster risk reduction and building resilience.

 

About the Project

The project focuses on improving local resilience to hurricanes and climate extremes in the Eastern Caribbean using community-based and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR/Eco-DRR) approaches. It specifically targets Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and builds on an initial phase of work implemented from September 2019- September 2022.

Funded by the InterAmerican Foundation (IAF), it aims to respond to the need for more sustained and long-term support and strengthening of civil society organisations (CSOs) to address disaster risks and build their own resilience. CANARI is working closely with eight partner CSOs and community stakeholders in eight high-risk communities across the target countries. This is being done through technical and organisational capacity building; mobilising local knowledge and partnerships; and supporting practical CBDRR/Eco-DRR actions on the ground.

 

How will this project benefit the Caribbean region?

• By empowering Local CSOs: Building capacity for local leadership in disaster risk management and resilience

• By boosting Disaster Resilience: Strengthening community preparedness for hurricanes and climate impacts

• By promoting Nature-based Solutions: Leveraging ecosystems to reduce disaster risks and support livelihoods

 

What activities are we undertaking to achieve this?

• Strengthening CSOs to deliver integrated community-based and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR/Eco-DRR): By building technical capacity through a training-of-trainers workshop, webinars, and exchange visits, along with organisational strengthening through a tailored mentoring programme for partner CSOs and a toolkit on mentoring Caribbean CSOs to support further action.

• Supporting practical actions using integrated CBDRR and Eco-DRR to improve local resilience: By providing partner CSOs with small grants and technical coaching to enable them to lead community vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning, culminating in small-scale projects addressing resilience challenges in eight target communities.

• Enhancing knowledge mobilisation and partnerships for integrated CBDRR and Eco-DRR: By facilitating focused national dialogues in the target countries, culminating in a regional dialogue on scaling community resilience in the Caribbean, as well as documenting and sharing project results, lessons, and best practices.

• Monitoring, evaluation and learning: Through the production of stories of change and independent evaluations to assess overall impact, results, lessons, and make recommendations.

 

What have we achieved so far?

Capacity building

• Training Workshops: Two regional training-of-trainers workshops were held in June 2021 and in June 2023 for technical capacity building of project and other CSOs across the Eastern Caribbean, benefiting over 40 representatives from 12 countries. Participants learned key concepts, practical tools, and best practices for assessing vulnerability and implementing community-based and ecosystem-based resilience solutions. Watch highlights from the 2023 workshop here.

• Mentoring programme established to support partner CSOs with organisational strengthening.

• Resource development to support capacity building:

1. 1. Update of the toolkit “Implementing climate change action: A toolkit for Caribbean civil society organisations”, adding modules and case studies on CBDRR and EcoDRR, and conversion into an online course.
   2. Development of a mentoring toolkit for supporting Caribbean CSOs and small- and micro-enterprises (SMEs)

 

Practical actions

• Phase 1 projects: Practical action projects focused on CBDRR and Eco-DRR implemented from September 2021 – August 2022.

• Phase 2 Grants: The final round of small grants to support CBDRR and Eco-DRR projects under CSOs for Disaster Resilience (Phase 2) was launched in September 2024.

 

Knowledge mobilisation and partnerships

• The Caribbean Resilience Knowledge Platform: Launched in August 2023, as an online hub to support knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration among civil society organisations and their public and private sector partners to scale up action for climate justice and resilience across the region.

• A GIS StoryMap “Building Caribbean Resilience: A spotlight on civil society action to build local resilience”, was created to highlight civil society role and contributions to building climate and disaster resilience in the region.

• Regional dialogues held on community resilience in the Caribbean and what is needed to scale this up:

1. 1. Regional webinar series on CBDRR and Eco-DRR held from August-September 2022
   2. Regional Forum on Catalysing innovation & partnerships to build local disaster resilience in Caribbean communities held in June 2020

 

Recent project news and information

• CSOs for Disaster Resilience – small grant project feature: Supporting local action using nature to build resilience in Balthazar, Grenada

• Feature on CSOs for Disaster Resilience project in Blue Guide | Community of practice newsletter (issue #2)

• Article: Roll out of practical action projects on community-based and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction to build resilience in Caribbean communities

• Press release: CANARI launches project to empower civil society and local communities to build resilience to hurricanes and climate extremes in the Eastern Caribbean

 

Project-related communications

• Caribbean Resilience Knowledge platform

• Implementing climate change action: An online course for Caribbean civil society organisations

• Implementing climate change action: A toolkit for Caribbean civil society organisations – EN/SP

• Digital publication (StoryMap): “Building Caribbean Resilience: A spotlight on civil society action to build local resilience”

• Video series: CSOs for Disaster Resilience – Spotlight on practical action projects 

• Case Study: Empowering civil society to build resilience to climate extremes in the Eastern Caribbean

More information about this project

• Download the project summary
• Contact Candice Ramkissoon, Senior Technical Officer, at candice@canari.org

 

Related projects and programmes

Resilience Programme