The EmerGENcies Programme was born with the aim of rebuilding sustainable communities after human-made and natural disasters, bringing regenerative solutions to moments of crisis and suffering.
The EmerGENcies Programme brings solutions to communities who have experienced disaster, displacement, and migration. GEN uses an integrated, community-led approach to transition communities to resilience and restore their environments. GEN supports the various phases of disaster response such as relief, rehabilitation, and regenerative development.
In a crisis, priority needs such as food security, WASH (Water, Health, and Sanitation), natural building, and regenerative livelihood are among the areas of assistance where ecovillage solutions are applied. Ecovillage design integrates social, cultural, economic, and ecological dimensions in a holistic way that increases the resilience of communities before, during or after disasters.
Examples from around the world
Prevention
In Colombia, the Program Alliance of Sustainable Settlements for Peace (ALAS para la Paz) is building peace in indigenous, traditional and peasants communities by transforming conflict.
Relief and Recovery
In the Philippines, Green Releaf sets up community gardens supporting food security, waste management, livelihood, and emotional recovery to support survivors of typhoons and conflict.
Rehabilitation and Development
In Kurdistan, Northern Iraq, GEN is supporting the transformation of refugee camps into ecovillages.
EmerGENcies Programme Strategy
Immediate Response System
Within GEN we offer GEN Education and Consultancy, with a pool of experts and practitioners for training, project design, and implementation of support. Mapping and profiling initiatives in response to emergencies is a priority to increase the tools and solutions we offer.
Each of the GEN regions has an EmerGENcies coordinator that coordinates support and organises appropriate connections in a time of crisis.
Resilience and Capacity Development
EmerGENCies supports communities in developing their capacities through Ecovillage Development processes. As communities shift to self-design in a regenerative way, integrating appropriate technologies in all 4 dimensions of sustainability, they become more resilient, and help prevent and be prepared for emergencies. Through this engagement, communities are documenting, developing, and designing modules that are unique to their context.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
In situations that require recovery and rehabilitation, there is an opportunity to follow zero carbon approaches and regenerative frameworks that transcend old models of development.
Our process
- Inviting and Participating – Assembling an EmerGENcies team consisting of GEN consultants and community members.
- Planning and Integrating – Local stakeholders are supported in identifying assets, needs and leverage points for their situation so that the process for the implementation and consolidation of integral reconstruction remains community-led.
- Training and Implementing – Local capacity for sustainable self-management of the integral reconstruction process is generated. In most cases of displacement or resettlement, a community or ecovillage center becomes the core base of activities for recovery and rehabilitation.
- Evaluating and Celebrating – Outcomes and impacts are evaluated along the way, and examples of accomplishment are shared for celebration. Thus, the affected communities regain inner and outer resilience.
- Refining and Scaling – As learnings are harvested and shared from each and every EmerGENcies intervention, our global toolbox of solutions and team of consultants continues to expand. The resulting learning platform contributes to the innovation of humanitarian solutions for crisis situations.
To learn more, please contact us by email.
