The SIDRRA project aims to enhance adaptability and strengthen resilience among at-risk communities in Asia and amplify local voices in decision-making processes. It promotes multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure that adaptation strategies are grounded in the realities of those most affected. By bridging policy and practice, the project helps local knowledge influence regional resilience agendas.
Under the SIDDRA sub grant, HWA – a member of Duryog Nivaran will undertake a project titled “Strengthening women peasant and rural workers’ resilience through local governance” to educate communities on their rights and raise awareness about natural disasters, encouraging local initiatives to protect lives and livelihoods.
Project Overview
The 2022 floods in Sindh exposed a critical gap between the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and rural communities, where top-down planning and inaccessible communication left peasants and sharecroppers disproportionately vulnerable. This systemic failure leads to inequitable aid distribution and a lack of grassroots preparedness. Women peasant and rural workers are the most vulnerable to the disasters but are often excluded from disaster governance and have limited knowledge of early warning systems and this affects their ability to recover and build long term resilience.
The SIDDRA grant will be used to bridge this divide by strengthening the capacity of women-led peasant organizations and sensitizing government officials to work collaboratively. By integrating local needs into disaster governance and improving coordination, the project aims to build community resilience and protect livelihoods ahead of predicted climate risks like the 2025 drought and rain cycles.
Objectives: To strengthen the resilience of women peasant and rural workers by integrating them into local disaster risk governance frameworks.
The project will work to strengthen 12 women-led unions and registering them under local law to actively engage with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and other relevant local departments.
Expected Outcomes
The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Enhanced Disaster Preparedness: Improve the knowledge and response capabilities of 300 women peasants and rural workers, significantly boosting their disaster readiness.
- Strengthened Collaboration: Establish a functional disaster response framework that promotes effective collaboration between local government agencies and peasant organizations, leading to improved disaster management.
- Empowered Women’s Unions: Equip women’s peasant unions to advocate effectively for the needs of vulnerable groups during disaster response and recovery efforts
- Increased Resilience: Enhance the resilience of communities to floods, droughts, and other disasters, thereby reducing risks to lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
- Sustainable Disaster Preparedness: Ensure long-term disaster preparedness in Sindh, fostering a culture of proactive risk management and community engagement.
Insights thus far
Based on insights gathered through comprehensive baseline surveys with local communities and government stakeholders, a context-specific District Disaster Response Framework (DDRF) was tailored to local vulnerabilities, particularly those affecting rural women and marginalized groups. The DDRF, developed in the local language (Sindhi), has been widely appreciated for its accessibility and relevance, and is now being used to guide planning processes and strengthen stakeholder engagement.
Capacity building has been another key achievement. Over 300 participants, including peasant women, rural workers, persons with disabilities, and minority groups, were trained on early warning systems, disaster preparedness, livestock protection, and community response mechanisms. The training used participatory and practical approaches such as simulations, group exercises, and real-life case discussions, enhancing both understanding and practical preparedness at the community level. Although the trainings were not designed as Training of Trainers (ToT), several community members, including young women, took the initiative to share their knowledge with others, extending the reach of the project within their communities. This has widened the outreach to the community.
Community engagement was further strengthened by integrating women-led trade unions into broader governance platforms, enabling rural women to actively participate in disaster planning and decision-making while reinforcing linkages with local authorities.
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