ABSTRACT
The chapter draws from four initiatives led by civil society organisations and civic associations, and movements that share a common thread of grassroots representation, claims-making, and leadership in the non-urgent disaster risk reduction and long-term recovery context. The civil society initiatives that emerge from the everyday lived experiences of structural inequalities are rooted in the values of social and environmental justice that guide all aspects of collective action. Community ownership and decentralised leadership in these grassroots initiatives enable plural interests to co-exist and bring together autonomous entities for joint action, without compromising social justice. Leadership entails working with varied stakeholders with contradictory interest, often in not-so-conducive environment, establishing and maintaining relationships, and delineating and negotiating common issues in working towards common goals. Though this is a time-consuming and often difficult process, it leads to further positive ripple effects that bring about transformative change and build disaster resilience in the long run. However, the constricting space for civil society and the project mode of operations that are event centric often hamper such critical long-term paybacks, including engagement in large-scale policy advocacy.
