Across India, millions live this same reality. Climate shocks. Health emergencies. Economic volatility. They don't happen one at a time anymore. They overlap. They compound.
people could be pushed into poverty by climate change alone by 2030.
Indians fall into poverty every year because of medical bills.
can't repay informal loans, trapped in debt at crushing interest rates.
Resilience is not a one-time outcome. It is a long-term capacity. It is the ability of households to endure, recover from, and adapt to shocks — without compromising their long-term well-being. This lens reshapes how we approach development through three fundamental shifts:
Helping families stay healthy and earn steadily.
Capital that grows, not grants that deplete.
Communities as changemakers, not recipients.
Their ability to withstand a crisis depends on the systems around them—health services that hold
steady during disasters, livelihoods that don't collapse overnight, social protection that reaches
them when needed, and climate action that helps them prepare before the storm hits.
That's why we work across multiple levels strengthening systems while building household and
community agency.
We use the Know Your Resilience (KYR) tool to help households assess their strengths across six domains—health, education, income, infrastructure, social capital, and mental well-being. This moves families from reactive coping to proactive planning.
Households don't get handed a pre-packaged solution. A network of Resilience Fellows (CSOs) and Resilience Saathis (community facilitators) walk alongside families, helping them co-create a Resilience Solution Plan—identifying gaps, setting goals, and building "solvability."
The Resilience Fund works differently. It provides small, affordable loans to families. When repaid, the money flows back to help the next household. Interest covers community trainers. The fund keeps growing.
One rupee, multiple impacts. Perpetual. Regenerative.
In 2023, we piloted the Resilience Movement in coastal Odisha.
The question we wanted to answer: Can a lightweight, community-led model actually build resilience
in places where cyclones hit year after year?
We partnered with Gopabandhu Seva Parishad (GSP), a trusted local organisation. Together, we worked with 1,500 households in Pentakota over one year.
Here is what the evidence showed.
62% of households increased their monthly income.
75% of households increased their annual savings.
Average household debt dropped by ₹16,000.
Median increase: ₹5,000 per month.
Median increase: ₹10,600 per year.
Families shifted from moneylenders to banks and Self-Help Groups. Borrowing became safer. Purposeful.
285 new women joined Self-Help Groups. Pooled savings reached ₹1.19 lakh with interest-free lending within the community.
2,500+ individuals linked to government schemes. 1,555 people reached with health screenings.
Resilience is not a theory. It's a woman who saves through cyclones. A family that borrows safely. A community that pools resources and protects its own.
The Resilience Movement is already taking root across India. In a short span, we've moved from concept to action with partners on the ground proving that this model works.
organisations identified as “Fellows” across 9 states (26 locations and 7 communities), anchoring resilience in local communities
Resilience Saathis learning to facilitate resilience journeys
households initiating their resilience journeys
No single organisation can build resilience at scale. It takes a network.
Community Action Collab brings together 400+ diverse members, including CSOs, local governments, and the private sector - to align around shared outcomes.
Beyond our direct platform, we co-create and participate in coalitions across sectors. In some, we play a convening role. In others, we are one voice among many. The goal is always the same: connect efforts so they multiply, not duplicate.
On the ground level, Resilience Fellows such as Gopabandhu Seva Parishad anchor this effort. They engage and train Resilience Saathis — local women and men who walk alongside families, supporting the journey, one decision at a time.
This is not a programme delivered to communities. It is a system strengthened with them and increasingly, by them.
See the Resilience Lens in Action.
We don't ask you to start over. We ask you to use on a new lens
"Training women in tailoring skills."
Training women in tailoring skills + linking them to climate-resilient textile supply chains + enrolling them in a community health savings group.
Here's how you can plug in:
A program for CSOs to become anchors of change. We help you build a "resilience lens" onto the work you're already doing.
Simple tools that help households see their own strengths and decide their own path forward.
Map your services against the real-time needs identified by communities. Targeted help, zero waste.
An upcoming platform to make resilience training accessible to every practitioner in the country.
