Research to evaluate and test the sustainability of V2R programmes in Bangladesh

The Vulnerability to Resilience (V2R) programme has been implemented by the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) since 2012 with the support of the British Red Cross (BRC) and other partner national societies. In 2015, it was extended from the original 26 communities in the Coastal region of Bangladesh, to an additional 30 communities in Kurigram in the North region.

An evaluation of the Coastal programme, carried out in 2016, concluded that the target communities had largely achieved characteristics of disaster resilience. Given their ongoing replication of the V2R model in Kurigram and other potential replications elsewhere, BRC and BDRCS identified a need to better understand how resilience outcomes can be sustained. They commissioned IRMA to conduct research to identify enablers and blockers (impediments) to sustainability of the results of the V2R programmes in both the Coastal and Kurigram locations. More specifically, the research sought to answer the following questions:

1. To what extent have the results of the V2R Coastal programme been sustained (in the communities where it was implemented), and why? What have been the main enabling factors and the main impediments?
2. To what extent are the results of V2R in Kurigram likely to be sustained? To what extent are enabling factors being fostered? To what extent are impediments avoided/overcome? What changes are necessary to enhance sustainability?