Climate change increasingly influences all aspects of people’s lives. Our climate resilience programmes are locally-led, integrated, and backed by data to bring forth lasting solutions to our most pressing issues.
We focus on disaster relief, education, health and food systems, and risk reduction in over 20 countries.
Local solutions to local problems
Climate change affects the entire globe, but the most crucial action must be at local levels. We engage those most impacted by climate change within communities.
We work with these communities to find solutions to the impacts of climate change and to help build resilience. We also mobilise volunteers who bring skills and solutions to support climate change adaptation across communities, health centres and schools.
With our partners, VSO facilitates integrated solutions that tackle the effects of climate change holistically. Read more to learn how our approach touches multiple facets of the lives of those we serve and work alongside.
Our process: integrated climate programmes
Climate disaster recovery
Climate disasters require system level responses. That’s why we train our partners within these communities to be best prepared for when disaster strikes.
Our volunteers mobilise and facilitate locally led relief services. We are especially focused on the most marginalised, namely women, youth, and people with disabilities.
Government
We work hand-in-hand with local governments to design and deliver action plans based on the specific needs of each community. These plans give voice to communities, govern their actions, and teach them how to engage with their local governments.
Adaptation planning is also just as crucial as relief efforts for communities already experience climate change losses.
Education access
Climate loss impacts access to education. By engaging with teachers and communities and developing action plans, we’re ensuring that climate disaster doesn’t interrupt education by providing continuity in education despite climate related school closures.
We ensure school infrastructure is safe; work with teachers to prepare take home packets in the event of a school closure; and ensure clean-ups are focused on schools whenever possible.
Health outcomes
We are working with local governments to determine the overall risks and impact of climate change on health. Our research is focused on supporting health providers to strengthen climate resilience and adaptation within health services to reduce health service disruption and continue to secure overall health outcomes.
We are working to implement health system climate adaptation to monitor health service disruption and contribute to climate resilient health systems.
Food supply and agroecology
We work with communities and individuals to support them as they develop sustainable, nutrient dense, and hardy food sources and work together to improve their local food systems.
As the climate changes, we must adapt to the new conditions, including developing long lasting and healthy food sources that can withstand change in climate including flood, drought and excessive heat.
Local and youth advocacy
Youth leadership in development is a critical tenet of tackling the climate change issues the next generation faces.
VSO has established national youth platforms in over 15 countries, which enable youth to access knowledge and skills to contribute to climate adaptation at community and system level, while building an evidence base for advocacy and policy through research and monitoring of climate risks and solutions.
Youth platforms are taking recommendations to local governments, and scaling up climate adaptation solutions, ensuring the future is bright.
Kenya
In Kenya, VSO provided technical support to three County Government Agencies to climate risk assessments and inclusive climate adaptation plans, which are leading to funding for climate adaptation for communities including agroecology, climate resilient food systems and health solutions.
Pakistan and Nepal
In Pakistan, over 100 schools have been supported to develop climate resilient safe school plans.
In Nepal, 16 Health Institutions and 30 schools have developed climate adaptation plans.
The Philippines
In the Philippines, conflict-affected communities have been supported to develop climate and peace plans which are leading to transformation in fisheries, coastal management plans and environmental protection. We are partnering with UNFAO to support climate risk monitoring systems.
Nigeria and Malawi
Youth volunteers have been evidencing climate ‘Loss and Damage’ including loss of property, ecological damage and nutritional, health and education impacts on households following climate emergencies. They are supporting communities and government agencies with recovery and resilience responses.
Climate resilience across our projects
From Waste to Work
Strengthen green youth-led start-ups in Kenya to create decent jobs through waste recovery.
Agroecology: a path to food security and sustainability
Food systems contribute to a third of greenhouse gas emissions, and in turn, climate change exacerbates hunger and food injustice. VSO is working to address these issues by promoting agroecology with smallholder farmers.
Integrating Peacebuilding, Development and Humanitarian Efforts on the Kenya/Ethiopia border
Climate-induced disasters are fuelling instability at the Kenya/Ethiopia border, where many families rely on farming for their livelihood. VSO are bringing communities together to foster peace and social cohesion.
Getting children back to school in Pakistan
In 2022 Pakistan experienced some of its deadliest floods in years. VSO are helping to ensure education is still possible for children displaced by flooding.
Generating Resilient Environments and Promoting Socio-Economic Development of the East Tonle Sap Lake (GREEN)
Livelihoods of those living on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia are being threatened by overfishing and climate change. GREEN is helping vulnerable communities to transition to sustainable agriculture while boosting their incomes.
Green jobs
Green jobs are jobs that: reduce consumption of energy and raw materials, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimise waste and pollution and protect and restore ecosystems.
Stories from our work
Four ways you’re helping communities cope with the climate crisis
As our planet warms and our weather gets more extreme, raising awareness and galvanising climate action is more vital than ever. Learn how you're helping the communities bearing the brunt of climate change, adapt and survive.
The right climate to learn
Across the countries where VSO works, we see children and young people increasingly experience the effects of climate change. With climate change set to worsen, we know they are likely to experience more devastating consequences in their lifetimes.
Five ways our youth champions are fighting climate change
In this blog we share five ways that our youth champions have realised tremendous achievements in creating climate awareness, climate resilience and triggering climate justice in their communities.