What Does it Mean to be Resilient (Part 1) - Knowledge and Health

What does it mean to be resilient? Our parent publication, Theory in Practice, published an article recently which looked at definitions of resilience. Most were from the point of view of donors and development organizations, but the IFRC had a definition that had built upon the views and perceptions of communities worldwide. It was a breath of fresh air and we thought it would be a great place to begin to help us break down just what resilience means for communities, and what communities and local governments can do to increase their resilience to any number of shocks: climate change, disaster, health epidemics and food insecurity, to name but a few.

Given that the SDGs are the global framework for development through 2030, we look to them to identify tools or guidance on the type of activities or interventions that communities can undertake on their own. Plus, using the SDGs for guidance benefits the community and all levels of government as countries collectively work towards achieving the targets they have agreed to.

Then IFRC identifies six factors that make a community resilient. Today we focus on two: a knowledgeable and healthy community. What is important to keep in mind is that resilience is not an end in itself. Given the dynamic world we live in, increasing resilience and adapting to changing realities is a perpetual process. It never really ends. It may slow down or speed up at given times but it is a continual process.

There are 17 SDGs. There are many, many associated targets. We’ve identified some of the key goals and targets which relate knowledge and health at the community level and the relevant targets where communities and local governments can take a leadership role.

The first is Goal 2 focussing on hunger, food security and nutrition. Did you know that poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under five years old (globally)? Did you also know that agriculture (including fisheries) provides livelihoods for 40% of the global population and provides 80% of all food consumed in developing countries? These are figures where communities can take a lead in building up resilience to shocks. Some SDG targets that can be worked towards at the community level include ensuring access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food year round. How? Building up storage of canned goods for distribution to households during crises such as storms or flooding, or during drought as we have seen this year. Another idea is to work with local shops and kiosks to provide a larger variety of foodstuffs and to work with local households to identify growing areas which are less prone to floods and erosion while also looking to increase knowledge on improved local processing techniques such as canning of fruits and vegetables for use at a later date.

Another target is the doubling of agricultural productivity of small scale producers, particularly women. How? While not an easy process, some suggestions include developing community agriculture plans so that households specialize in one or two crops to capitalize on growing areas. Another idea is to work with local government to import new types of seeds that are climate resilient and hold trainings locally to learn about new agricultural techniques that can boost productivity. This goes hand in hand with the target to maintain ecosystems and strengthen adaptation capacity. Identify where there is an overuse of land for agriculture. Can crop rotation be implemented in some areas? These are just examples to think about.

The second SDG we look to for guidance to increase community resilience is Goal 3 on health and well-being. We’ve written previously, and you can find a lot in our learning section, about the critical role that women play in household and community development and resilience, despite being disproportionately unrecognized. So it is important to know that o half of women in developing countries receive the recommended health care that they need? How can they keep their households healthy and resilient if they don’t give themselves equal priority? While the SDG target focusses on substantially increasing health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of health care workers (particularly in LDCs and small island states), the flip side of this is for community leaders to focus on ensuring that women in the community are receiving the health care they need. Whether is be annual or semi-annual women’s health clinic days where check ups are provided free to girls and women over 16 years of age, or the training of local women in new techniques in midwifery and post-natal care, there is a lot that can be done locally as long as it receives priority and as long as women understand that their family’s well-being is largely dependent on their own personal health.

SDG Goal 4 focuses on education and lifelong learning. 103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60% are women. A lot of what constitutes being resilient in the future will rely on basic literacy - reading about employment opportunity or new techniques in agriculture. Most important is to be able to read warnings for potential disasters such as cyclones, flooding or drought. Basic literacy is also the springboard for future learning - being able to train to adapt to changing job markets or prepare for migration to other countries for income generating opportunities. Literacy is also important to be able ti understand fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, to be able to hold elected officials to account. Corruption is a huge factor undermining country and community resilience and those in positions of power rely on ill or uninformed citizens to not challenge their actions. Some of the targets that the SDGs proposed which can lead towards more knowledgeable citizens includes ensuring boys and girls complete primary AND secondary education. For households where children have to lead school to work to support the family, how can the community help the household so that the child stays in school? An educated child is an investment for the community’s future. Another target is to focus on ensuring communities, and particularly youth, are able to gain skills and knowledge necessary to adapt to a changing world. This includes learning about sustainable lifestyles (consumption, waste and recycling), human rights, gender equality and the important role of women and girls in society, and the promotion of non-violence. Community leaders need to take the lead in bringing the community together to learn and understand, with the support of religious leaders, local government and civil society groups, the basic tenants of these issues. This could take place in schools or in community meetings. Another venue would be through the church. The more you know the better you can understand why the world is changing and why and how you can adapt to it.

Finally, Goal 6 on water and sanitation contributes directly to health and well-being. While this will come as no surprise to Pacific communities, water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population, while 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation (toilets). Open defecation can lead to the spread of diseases, and it is a particularly unsafe practice for women and girls, who are vulnerable to violence while alone in isolated areas when safe toilet facilities are unavailable in close proximity to their homes or schools. How can the community work together to reduce open defecation and provide safe and clean facilities to the community? Another target is to increase water efficiency. Another target is to protect and restore water ecosystems. This includes awareness of the negative impacts of deforestation and overuse of wetlands - the reduction of the water table and these ecosystems as natural clean water storage facilities. There is also the need to keep rivers clear of debris to reduce flooding and erosion, and to protect mangroves to reduce incidences of increasing salinity of fresh water supplies and protect against destructive storm surge and coastal erosion. Local communities can play a big role in this type of work, including using traditional knowledge to restore and protect mangroves, and patrolling rivers to raise alarm if debris can risk flooding, and to protect forests from deforestation and illegal use.

All of the above are suggestions on how a community can come together through good community-based planning to improve their knowledge and health in pursuit of increasing community resilience in a changing world. None of the ideas above are set in stone and should be adapted and added to based on community needs and geographic location and assets. What other ideas or practices exist in your community that others may benefit from?