SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CHALLENGE RESULTS

This report synthesizes the results of ten projects funded under Round 1 (R1) of the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), which were supported by USAID. The projects focused on transforming risks from climate shocks and stresses into opportunities across sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. The synthesis evaluates progress across four Impact Pathways: policy influencing, finance and investment, innovation and scaling, and knowledge and partnership. Key outcomes include the support of over 5 million beneficiaries, the development of innovative digital and financial tools, and the empowerment of vulnerable groups, including women and people with disabilities.

• The ten GRP Round 1 projects supported over 5 million beneficiaries, exceeding the initial target of 4.5 million. A significant portion of this reach was achieved by MetaMeta in Ethiopia, where over 3 million people benefited from road water harvesting projects.
• Projects achieved significant outcomes in women's empowerment and agency. In the Sahel, Mercy Corps' LEAP project increased the percentage of women involved in financial decision-making from 9% to 23% in Niger and from 19% to 32% in Mali. Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) reported that 35% of involved households became less vulnerable to climate-related risks through the empowerment of urban slum-dwelling women.
• Digital tools and Early Warning Systems (EWS) were critical for increasing resilience. TAHMO delivered EWS information to approximately 1.2 million people in Uganda, with 75% of survey respondents taking risk-reducing actions. Grameen Foundation developed mobile extension tools in the Philippines, resulting in 58% of farmers putting recommended actions into practice following 'too dry' weather alerts.
• Innovative financial products were piloted to mitigate climate risks. IFPRI developed Risk-Contingent Credit (RCC) in Kenya, with preliminary data showing uptake rates more than 10% higher than traditional loans. Mercy Corps in the Horn of Africa piloted the MKK Mudharaba product, which was later redesigned as MKK Murabaha based on adaptive management and beneficiary feedback.
• The University of Sydney focused on Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) in Cambodia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The project empowered people with disabilities (PWD) to act as co-researchers and trainers, leading to the inclusion of Deaf communities in the DiDRR Network and contributing to the review of Thailand's national strategy on disaster management for disability.
• MetaMeta's 'Roads for Water' approach in Ethiopia and Kenya used low-technology infrastructure to harvest rainwater, which increased soil moisture even during the severe El Niño drought of 2015/16. The project implemented beneficial road water management practices across 84,254 hectares in the Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia.
• Producers Direct utilized Youth Ambassadors to bridge the gap between digital tools and older farmers in Kenya and Uganda. This intergenerational cooperation helped 66,500 smallholder households use tools like Wefarm and 2Kuze, contributing to a 27% increase in mean reported income according to survey data.
• Close collaboration with government organizations was a primary enabler for sustainability and scale. Six projects (Grameen, Groundswell, MHT, MetaMeta, Producers Direct, and University of Sydney) saw their tools or approaches adopted by government representatives, increasing the likelihood of transformational change.

APA

Sladkova, B., Robens, S., Smith, G., & Verkaart, S. (2019). SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CHALLENGE RESULTS. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/grp-r1-synthesis-2.pdf

Chicago

Sladkova, Barbora, Sarah Robens, Gregg Smith, and Simone Verkaart. SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CHALLENGE RESULTS. Global Resilience Partnership, 2019. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/grp-r1-synthesis-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sladkova |first1=Barbora |last2=Robens |first2=Sarah |last3=Smith |first3=Gregg |last4=Verkaart |first4=Simone |title=SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CHALLENGE RESULTS |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=September 2019 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/grp-r1-synthesis-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sladkova2019synthesis, author = {Sladkova, Barbora and Robens, Sarah and Smith, Gregg and Verkaart, Simone}, title = {{SYNTHESIS OF GLOBAL RESILIENCE CHALLENGE RESULTS}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/grp-r1-synthesis-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }