Impact Stories
How communities are leading the way in crisis response.
Meet the people behind the pins on the map — these are their stories of resilience and hope. Resilio Fund's Impact Stories spotlight the experiences of individuals and local groups who have taken charge of disaster response and recovery in their own communities. Each story illustrates what's possible when we invest in local leaders.
A Unique National Mutual Aid Movement
SUDAN • 2022
In the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, where the international humanitarian system has been severely hampered by the level of violence and insecurity, Sudanese volunteers have led the way in helping their communities. Forming themselves into community groups they call “Emergency Response Rooms” – ERRs, they have fed their neighbours, accommodated strangers, rescued the wounded, and helped traumatised children. It is an incredibly inspiring example of community-led humanitarian response. We quickly got flexible funding to these groups and have continued to support them in a number of ways.
Crisis
With over 30 million people affected, and 12 million people displaced, Sudan is now the largest humanitarian crisis on record and is also the world’s largest and fastest displacement crisis. The ongoing conflict means that international access is blocked in many areas.
Key Issues
Urban warfare, ethnic targeting, collapse of basic services, mass displacement, mutual aid (including Emergency Response Rooms) operating in a vacuum.
Why Resilio
The Emergency Response Rooms – a nationwide mutual aid movement – are saving lives in some of the most dangerous operational contexts in the world. The Resilio team’s connections to the context and the movement, and the credibility of Legatum and Vitol as early funders of ERRs means we are well placed to support the scale out and learning from this context.
“Our ability to run daily communal soup kitchens and neighborhood clinics has increased the community’s participation in mutual aid. The whole neighborhood is involved with working in the clinic, kitchen, clean ups, maintaining services or neighborhood protection. It is amazing the amount of thoughts and dreams that we hear every day in the communal soup kitchens and around the neighborhood. The ease of discussions, even controversial issues like racism and women’s rights. It is beautiful to see the involvement of people who did not think that they could be part of any mainstream discussions as they were always outsiders due to class or their ethnicity. The most important thing is that we all have the same voice and interest in hearing the ideas of others, and making room and tolerance for our differences.”
—GISA Khartoum Report – 2023
A core role for the ERRs is to ensure the continued availability of basic services especially water and electricity by providing logistical support to the workers.
Citizen to Citizen
Ethiopia • 2024
One of Resilio’s core partners is Citizen to Citizen (Zegoch Lezegoch) in Ethiopia, who have worked with the Legatum Foundation, Vitol Foundation, Hilton Foundation and CDP on sclr since the organisation was founded four years ago.
2024 Impact Summary:
297,772
Total Investment
81
Microgrants Provided
14,776
People Reached
Most Significant Changes:
Strengthened Food Security and Mutual Support
Several initiatives focused on food distribution and grain banks, ensuring vulnerable households had access to essential food supplies, particularly during difficult periods like droughts and conflicts.
Enhanced Self-Reliance and Resource Mobilisation
Many projects successfully mobilised local materials and labour, demonstrating an increased capacity for self-sufficiency and sustainability beyond external grants.
Improved Infrastructure and Accessibility
The water supply projects in Boreda, Gerese, and Zala have significantly improved the lives of rural communities. These projects have reduced the burden of water collection, freeing up time for farming and other productive activities.
Increased Community Cohesion and Accountability
Open discussions and experiential learning fostered stronger community ties, transparency, and local ownership of development efforts, reducing conflicts and enhancing collaboration.
Revitalisation of Economic and Social Enterprises
Community groups like the Meket Blacksmith Association and Atero Tourism Cooperative regained momentum, rebuilding their businesses and strengthening long-term economic resilience.
Rapid Community Response in Crisis: 24-Hour Emergency Relief
Myanmar • 2020
During the ongoing conflict, an airstrike devastated a village in Myanmar, destroying nearly half of the homes, killing eight people including two children, and forcing 600 survivors to flee into the forest. With no international aid agencies or national NGOs operational in the area for over two years due to security restrictions, the community faced this crisis entirely alone.
24-Hour Response Timeline
Hour 0
Airstrike occurs, local youth activist begins response
Same Evening
Met with displaced families in forest, assessed needs, developed action plan
Early Morning
Proposal submitted and approved
24 Hours
$1,226 transferred, supplies purchased and delivered to safe location
Impact
This case exemplifies the unmatched speed, cost-effectiveness, and psychological impact of community-led emergency response. With 100% of funds going directly to essential goods and all labour provided voluntarily, the intervention delivered not only material relief but crucial hope and solidarity to a traumatised community. The 24-hour response time, from attack to relief delivery, demonstrates how pre-positioned local networks and rapid funding mechanisms can provide life-saving assistance in contexts where traditional humanitarian actors cannot operate.
These powerful narratives are a testament to the extraordinary strength and ingenuity of ordinary people
They remind us that behind every Resilio Fund grant is a community taking charge of its destiny. Your support helps write the next chapter in each of these stories. By partnering with Resilio Fund, you empower more communities to lead their own relief and recovery.
Together, we can create many more impact stories in the years to come.
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