Volunteering for Climate Adaptation and Disasters in the Indian Sundarbans

The research project "Volunteering for Climate Adaptation and Disasters in the Indian Sundarbans" is led by Professor Matt Baillie Smith which was initiated in partnership with Jadavpur University as part of the UKRI-GCRF Living Deltas Research Hub wider collaborative project.

The project focuses on the context of the Indian Sundarbans (Indian part of the Ganges‐Brahmaputra‐Meghna Delta) and Kolkata city, located in the Indian state of West Bengal, to generate new evidence on the ways individuals and organisations mobilise labour in their approaches to disaster response and climate adaptation.

It aims to understand the everyday ways delta dwellers undertake voluntary or unpaid work to respond to disasters and or the changing environment and how this work is organised. It also explores the unpaid and voluntary labour of individuals and groups outside the Sundarbans in contributing to crisis response and responses to the changing climate, and how their labour impacts those present in the Sundarbans to build sustainable delta futures.

The research has the following objectives:

- To conceptualise the different kinds of voluntary labour mobilised for climate adaptation and disasters response in the Indian Sundarbans.
- To analyse the different ways voluntary labour is managed and governed in strategies for adaptation and crises response by the civil society and private sector.
- To assess the impacts of voluntary labour on adaptation, climate response and participants’ lives.
- To increase understanding and awareness of the role of voluntary labour in crises response and adaptation.
- To increase understanding of the importance of voluntary labour in climate adaptation strategies and disasters in the Indian Sundarbans, and beyond, providing evidence and insight to support improvements in policy and practice.

The project’s activities involve qualitative and participatory visual research methods to engage with a diverse set of stakeholders in the Sundarbans region and Kolkata, including current and former volunteers, regional and local grassroots level organisations, private sector organisations and communities affected by the changing delta environment.

• Photobook: Narratives and Images from Volunteers in the Indian Sundarbans

Click HERE to read and download the photobook (in English and Bangla)

This book draws from the photos and diary entries from research participants involved with the activities of VOCAD (Volunteering for Climate Adaptation and Disasters) in the Indian Sundarbans. The photobook reveals the diverse, critical and complex roles that voluntary labour plays in the lives of delta dwellers in a region that has been deeply affected by climate-related disasters and changes to its delicate ecosystem, impacting the lives of millions.

In the opening words of Dr. Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and North East India, who endorsed the photobook: 

"I am proud to introduce what is both a powerful and beautiful book, but also an important piece of research built on a strong UK/India collaboration. I hope the insights shared here can be widely disseminated and contribute to ensuring we do all we can to protect fragile but vital ecosystems such as the Indian Sundarbans".

• Exhibit booklet: “Beyond infrastructures and disasters: voluntary labour and climate change in the Indian Sundarbans” 

Click HERE to read and download the VOCAD Exhibit booklet

This exhibit booklet shares findings from research on voluntary labour by communities who live in the Indian Sundarbans in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta, an area facing significant threats and disruption from climate change. By prioritising their voices and experiences, we learn how volunteering in the context of climate change is about more than building and maintaining climate infrastructures or responding to disasters. It is entangled with the ways societies are being changed and challenged by climate change. And volunteering is itself being changed by climate change.
  

• Research Impact Summary  

As a part of the UKRI-GCRF Living Deltas Hub, the VOCAD project explores the everyday ways that delta dwellers in the Indian Sundarbans undertake voluntary or unpaid work to respond to disasters and adapt to their changing environment, and how this work is organised. The main focus of this impact summary is to provide insights from the individual research participants, representatives of the organisations taking part in the research, and community members attending the introductory workshops and exhibitions in the Indian Sundarbans. 

Click HERE to read and download the VOCAD Research Impact Summary

First, the summary explores the question: “How did VOCAD impact research participants?” highlighting the following areas of attention: 

1. Shifts in the value and perception of voluntary labour 
2. Increased networks, peer support and solidarity 
3. Challenging gender norms 
4. Development of new skills and experience 
5. Increased reflective capacity 
6. Informing career direction 

Second, the summary looks into the question “How did VOCAD impact participating organisations?” through the following areas: 

1. Recognition of the importance of voluntary labour 
2. Greater insights about volunteers’ experiences 
3. Need to recognise voluntary labour in policy design 

Finally, in response to the questions “How did VOCAD impact other organisations attending the exhibition?” and “How did VOCAD impact organisations attending the introductory workshop?” the following areas are explored: 

1. Insight into the importance of voluntary labour 
2. Greater insights about volunteers’ roles and responsibilities 
3. Novel research objective 
4. Opportunity to meet new people and co-learn 

You can find out more about the Living Deltas Hub here and also access resources about the VOCAD research activities in the Indian Sundarbans here. For more information, please contact Prof Matt Baillie Smith, Melisa Maida or Sumana Banerjee.