Resilience during uncertain times
By Taylor
During uncertain times, it is imperative to have resilience to remain calm and confident that there will be a time when all of this is behind us. […] [T]he community resilience work that our client is doing is proving to be more important now than ever.
We spent a few days being really bummed that we do not get to meet the team in person in Rio and see their work in real life. We were all looking forward to that. After that settled in, we realized the work we were doing is probably more important than ever because this pandemic was likely to affect them and their work. We had to quickly adapt the rest of our project and recommendations with these new constraints.
When we met with them virtually, we saw that they were going through the same thing we were, isolated and unsure about what the next few months will hold. We presented our initial research and recommendations virtually and the team was welcoming and engaged even though we were not in the room with them. They asked a lot of questions and seemed eager to figure out a plan to implement our recommendations.
We have continued to work hard to put together our final recommendations and plan for them. In addition, we have talked to industry experts about impact investing measurement techniques and have confirmed that our recommendations are in line with where industry professionals would have steered them.
Moreover, one of the biggest lessons in all this is things do not always go as planned. It is important to adapt to changes that unexpectedly come up. One of the skills I have reflected on a lot lately is resilience. During uncertain times, it is imperative to have resilience to remain calm and confident that there will be a time when all of this is behind us.
As someone who lives in a developed country and lives comfortably with more than the resources needed, that is much easier for me to say and envision than many other people experiencing this pandemic. I think of the communities that our client (who provides solar energy and training to favelas) is serving and how they may not be comforted by the resources or healthcare infrastructure available to them. I think about how important it is to equip these communities with resources that give them a sense of independence and ownership of their future. While solar initiatives and impact may not be at the forefront of donors’ and investors’ minds at this time, the community resilience work that our client is doing is proving to be more important now than ever.