Together, We Rise: Building Climate Resilience

Across South Asia, marginalised communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and natural disasters disproportionately affect these vulnerable populations, threatening lives, livelihoods, and futures. At Karuna, we’re taking action to empower these communities with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to adapt, survive, and thrive in the face of these challenges. By contributing to We Rise: Building Climate Resilience, you can help us make a tangible difference where it’s needed most.

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Together, We Can Create a Safer,
Greener Future

For the world’s poorest communities, climate change is a devastating daily reality that constantly threatens their lives, homes and livelihoods. Poverty and discrimination forces these people to the geographic edges of society, where the land is less stable and more exposed to environmental extremes. As a result, those already struggling are also the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

For many of these communities, manual agriculture on small plots has been the only source of income for centuries. However, even generations of specialised local knowledge can’t contend with the recent and unprecedented shifts in weather. They urgently need access to science-based agricultural innovations and mitigation strategies to build resilience against this growing threat. Without such support, future generations simply cannot survive the coming decades.

“The GBM Basin”

The Effects of Climate Change

The GBM Basin region is among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, which affects 630 million people across India, Bangladesh and Nepal every year. Most of those living there are farmers living in severe poverty. Already excluded from basic services like education and healthcare, they depend on predictable weather patterns for survival. However, these patterns are rapidly deteriorating, leaving them with fewer resources and greater uncertainty.

Climate change in the basin has also intensified the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Rising temperatures are accelerating the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, while deforestation has reduced the landscape’s ability to absorb water, exacerbating monsoons and floods. These disasters don’t just destroy land and livelihoods—they claim lives. In just one of our project areas, 40% of the population has already been lost. And the situation is only worsening.

Without immediate action, these communities face a future where their land can no longer sustain them, and entire generations risk being wiped out.

The Solution

Climate change is already here. While we can’t undo the past, we can work together to build a better future for those suffering its effects—and for the generations yet to come.

By harnessing natural resources and combining local knowledge with cutting-edge scientific expertise, we can make a significant difference in the lives of thousands of families. Our commitment to community-centred, sustainable solutions allows us to offer the tailored support that other approaches cannot.

Our work focuses on three key areas:

Adaptive Agriculture and Nature-based Solutions: Thousands are struggling to feed their families. By introducing climate-adaptive agricultural techniques, we can regenerate the land and quickly improve food security. These regenerative practices will restore soil health, enhancing current livelihoods and creating opportunities for new, more resilient forms of income. We will also pilot clean energy technologies to provide sustainable power to isolated villages. This initiative will begin with 9,000 smallholder farmers, including 3,000 women.

Protecting Ecosystems and Disaster Mitigation: A restored environment and empowered local communities are essential for reducing climate vulnerability. By restoring critical ecosystems and planting trees that support the environment, we can drastically lower the risk of climate-related disasters. Additionally, by helping communities develop local mitigation strategies—such as evacuation planning, flood and fire warden recruitment, and land management—they can lead and build resilience independently.

Community-Driven Governance: Creating lasting impact requires local engagement and momentum. By involving local governments and promoting skills transfer, we can ensure the benefits ripple throughout society, creating a legacy of resilience and innovation long into the future.