GIResilience Project

In areas where criminal governance is entrenched, policy makers tend to overlook community responses that address criminality at a local level. Organized crime often becomes ingrained in communities as criminals are seen as providers. Top-down solutions fail because communities view criminality as a means of survival. SDG 16 aims to create peaceful societies with justice for all, but families and children affected by organized crime are neglected by distant institutions.

Our vision is a global network connecting resilient community actors. Community resilience is the ability to respond to adversity while retaining functional capacities. We aim to highlight the impactful work of communities in adverse conditions and develop resilience-based initiatives to protect and empower citizens against organized crime. The approach involves understanding how organized crime integrates into community culture, impacting lives in various ways. Through workshops, dialogues, and feedback, the initiative identifies community vulnerabilities and resilience factors. The ultimate goal is to create a strong network with resilience actors in Mexico, Central America, the Philippines, and South Africa, producing a sustainable model for community resilience against organized crime and violence.

Documented community responses, hosted events like workshops, women's forums, and arts festivals, identified key resilience actors in Sinaloa, and planning expansions to Central America, the Philippines, and South Africa.