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Climate action and resilience
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Climate Change Adaptation & Resilience
Helping communities face climate shocks before they become crises.
Maji na Ufanisi works with climate-vulnerable communities in Kenya to strengthen water security, climate-resilient WASH systems, local preparedness, community knowledge, and practical adaptation.
Climate resilience is strongest when communities have reliable water, local skills, trusted information, and a clear plan for the next shock.
Why adaptation matters now
Climate change magnifies every existing WASH inequality.
Droughts, floods, rising temperatures, unreliable rainfall, damaged infrastructure, and contaminated water sources place the greatest burden on people who already have the fewest resources.
The United Nations explains that climate change is already affecting communities through more intense heat, drought, flooding, and other hazards. The World Health Organization describes climate change as a fundamental threat to human health.
Adaptation is not surrender. It is the deliberate work of protecting lives, services, livelihoods, dignity, and development gains from climate risks that are already here.
The risks communities face
One climate shock can trigger a chain of losses.
Drought and water scarcity
Declining sources force households to walk farther, pay more, reduce consumption, or use unsafe alternatives.
Flooding and contamination
Floodwater can damage toilets, overwhelm drainage, contaminate water sources, and increase disease risk.
Extreme heat
Higher temperatures increase water demand, affect health, and intensify pressure on already fragile services.
Fragile infrastructure
Poorly designed systems can fail when exposed to drought, floods, erosion, or sudden demand.
Unequal burdens
Women and girls often carry more unpaid water collection and care work when climate shocks disrupt services.
Livelihood disruption
Water shortages can affect livestock, food production, household income, nutrition, and local stability.
Our integrated adaptation approach
Community preparedness
Nature-based resilience
Climate information
Institutional capacity
Resilience is built before the next drought, flood, or system failure.
Climate-resilient WASH
Water and sanitation systems designed to withstand changing conditions.
We assess climate risk before recommending infrastructure. Source reliability, flood exposure, drought pressure, future demand, maintenance capacity, water quality, accessibility, and local governance all shape the final design.
Rainwater harvesting and storage
Source protection and rehabilitation
Drought-aware water planning
Flood-resilient sanitation
Local knowledge becomes a practical climate plan.
We help communities identify hazards, vulnerable groups, critical services, response responsibilities, and realistic actions that can be taken before, during, and after climate shocks.
Participatory risk mapping
Preparedness protocols
Community early action
Inclusive decision-making
Protecting ecosystems that protect people.
Healthy catchments, soils, wetlands, vegetation, and drainage systems can reduce erosion, protect water sources, support infiltration, and lessen the impact of floods and drought.
Catchment protection
Erosion control
Water-source conservation
Ecosystem awareness
Better decisions begin with trusted and understandable information.
We support communities and partners to interpret local climate risks, monitor changing conditions, document impacts, and use evidence to improve planning and investment.
Risk and vulnerability assessment
Community monitoring
Research and learning
Evidence-based advocacy
Strong systems outlast individual projects.
We strengthen local committees, schools, community organisations, public institutions, and service providers so they can plan, finance, operate, maintain, and adapt essential WASH services.
Maintenance planning
Transparent local financing
Roles and accountability
Adaptive management
Research that informs adaptation
Evidence helps communities and institutions invest where resilience matters most.
Maji na Ufanisi has contributed research on climate risks and adaptation options in Nairobi’s informal settlements, turning community realities into practical knowledge for policy and programming.
Sharing these resources openly reflects a simple principle: useful evidence should help more than one project, one donor, or one institution.
A practical evidence resource on climate vulnerability and resilience options for underserved urban communities.
Read the PDF →A detailed study of climate risks, opportunities, and possible adaptation responses in Nairobi’s informal settlements.
Read the PDF →Kenya’s official submission outlining national adaptation priorities, progress, and needs under the Paris Agreement.
Read the UNFCCC document →
How we implementStep 01Understand exposureIdentify drought, flood, heat, water, sanitation, health, livelihood, and infrastructure risks. Step 02Listen to affected groupsEngage women, youth, persons with disabilities, local leaders, institutions, and service users. Step 03Prioritise vulnerabilityDetermine who faces the greatest risk, which services are critical, and where action is most urgent. Step 04Co-design adaptationSelect feasible technical, institutional, behavioural, ecosystem, and governance responses. Step 05Build ownershipClarify roles, train local actors, establish maintenance plans, and strengthen accountability. Step 06Monitor and adaptTrack performance, climate conditions, community feedback, unintended effects, and emerging risks.
A practical pathway from climate risk to stronger community systems.
Where adaptation becomes visible
A climate-resilient WASH system protects far more than water.
When communities gain reliable, well-managed, and climate-aware services, the benefits spread across health, education, safety, livelihoods, dignity, and local confidence.
A school rainwater tank can preserve learning during water shortages. A protected rural source can reduce hours spent walking. Better drainage can protect homes and sanitation during floods. A trained committee can identify a problem before the entire system fails.
Reliable water during dry periods
Safer sanitation during floods
More time for school and livelihoods
Reduced exposure to disease
Stronger local preparedness
Protected development investments
What partnership can achieve
Investing in adaptation protects progress already made.
Water security
Communities are better prepared to maintain safe water access under changing conditions.
Health protection
Climate-resilient WASH reduces exposure to contaminated water and sanitation-related disease.
Continuity of learning
Schools can remain safer and more functional during water scarcity and extreme weather.
Reduced inequality
Women, girls, and underserved groups face fewer disproportionate climate-related burdens.
Stronger livelihoods
Reliable services and preparedness help households protect time, assets, and income.
Longer-lasting infrastructure
Climate-aware design and maintenance help protect investments from predictable hazards.
Local ownership
Communities gain the skills and systems needed to respond without waiting for crisis support.
Better decisions
Evidence and monitoring enable institutions to direct resources where they can have the greatest effect.
Partner with Maji na Ufanisi
The next climate shock should not erase years of community progress.
Support climate-resilient WASH, community preparedness, adaptation research, inclusive planning, and stronger local systems for communities facing drought, floods, water scarcity, and growing climate uncertainty.