Climate Change

When perennial floods and occasional cyclones hit Myanmar, poor families often lose everything: food, homes and even their meager livelihoods as subsistence rice farmers or fishermen. Families may use what little savings they have to meet immediate needs like clean water but then often become dependent on others – extended family, better off neighbors or aid agencies – for longer term support. As weather related disasters in Asia increase in frequency, duration and intensity, many vulnerable Myanmar families reel from disaster to disaster, often going further into debt and poverty with each damaging weather event. To address all stages of climate disruption, CWS organizes disaster risk reduction education/training to help families and communities mitigate impact and prepare to avert damage before disasters happen and also to respond during emergencies. In situations of acute, sudden disaster, CWS relief addresses immediate needs, while ongoing CWS-supported integrated community development projects help families get back on their feet and move forward.

Climate Change disproportionately affects vulnerable groups. In the Gran Chaco Indigenous and campesino families live in water stressed areas where climate change has increased drought and reduced agricultural output. Communities also face harsh competition for land from international companies and have reduced bargaining power to negotiate agricultural credit on terms favorable to them. CWS’s program provides small grants organized groups to promote community-led initiatives in climate smart agriculture and water management. Funding also helps them to develop strategies to advocate for their right to food and better negotiate funding with local authorities.

Lack of access and the high cost of energy traps the poorest communities in vicious cycles of poverty and environmental degradation. But it is possible to simultaneously develop strategies that address climate change, address hunger and poverty and build sustainable development strategies. By promoting decentralized affordable, low carbon, renewable green energy technologies such as solar energy, bio mass conversion and eco – san toilets through community owned and managed social enterprise projects, CWS is helping vulnerable groups in Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to generate their own power supplies for homes and schools, manage water supplies, grow more food, improve sanitation and reduce recurring health problems.

One of the key commitments under our Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program in Kenya revolves around supporting local communities prone to recurrent climatic shocks and stresses to rebound more swiftly, overcome adversity and become more resilient. Cognizant of the huge potential of the livestock resources in these areas; the program has planned a number of interventions that have the greatest potential of empowering and inspiring the agro-pastoral and pastoral communities to be catalysts of innovation and the drivers of sustainable solutions that will in turn address their climatic vulnerability over the next 18 -24 months. The initiatives include the development of strategic fodder reserves that will not only be used for feeding livestock but also sold as an alternative source of income. Other interventions include the Index based Insurance that builds on cross-sector partnerships to compensate pastoralists in case of loss of livestock to natural calamities; promoting resilience to climate change, with livestock as the major resource among the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of Kenya.

CWS recognizes the pivotal role of community-managed disaster risk reduction in increasing resilience to climate change. In Kenya, CWS is piloting activities to support pastoralist communities to catalyze innovation and increase self-reliance, while sustainably responding to climate vulnerability. These include the development of strategic fodder reserves, index-based livestock insurance and the harvesting of non-timber forest products such as honey.