COVID-19: Our Rural Response

IIRR supported rural communities in understanding their hazards and vulnerabilities using the CMDRR approach for preparedness and risk management. Our activities included:

• CMDRR training, workshops, and consultation
• Community-managed Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis, through risk mapping, establishing early warning systems
• Community-managed Emergency Response
• Strengthening capacities to cope and bounce back with the risks, for instance organizing and training of village responders, contingency planning, and scenario planning

IIRR provided assistance to help rural communities in restoring and protecting their livelihoods, focusing on smallholder farmers and women and youth entrepreneurs to cope with economic stresses. Our support included:

• Distributing farming materials such as seeds, small livestock, farm tools
• Providing technical advice on farm planning to promote crops production for the local markets
• Linking to new markets and buyers without intermediaries
• Establishing capital stimulation packages as safety nets to ensure economic recovery for women who are most affected
• Working with women and youth to improve the use of digital tools for business and marketing
• Improving ICT based Business Continuity preparedness planning
• Advocating for women and youth Recovery Friendly-products through policy interventions
• Providing linkages and access to Financial Recovery Funds

IIRR worked to establish effective and sustainable services to improve the nutrition and health status of rural communities throughout the pandemic. As a result, our activities included:

• Conducting Information, Education, Communication (IEC) campaigns on COVID-19 prevention
• Strengthening WASH behavior via change communication. For example, establishing emergency water supply and hand-washing facilities in villages, capacity-building to ensure village-based health workers can do primary health care work: IEC, monitoring, isolating the sick, promotion of WASH, etc.
• Training village health workers
• Raising awareness to promote a healthy lifestyle using social media and digital platforms
• Building and equipping of village health facilities

IIRR addressed community-level food security and strengthened community nutrition amid lockdowns and markets at a standstill. Activities were geared towards:

• Promoting and advocating Regenerative Agriculture as part of livelihood early recoveries
• Creating courses, workshops, and training programs on Regenerative Agriculture facilitated by a sought-out expert in the field
• Strengthening local food systems by establishing home and community gardens
• Distributing seeds, seedlings, and planting materials to the community