Learning Beyond Borders: RURBANISE in Dar es Salaam for CS Hub 2025
The journey toward meaningful climate resilience requires bridging academic research with on-the-ground realities. This principle lies at the core of the CLimate Adaptation and REsilience (CLARE) initiative. For the team behind Project RURBANISE, recent engagements through the CLARE Capacity Strengthening (CS) Hub have provided dynamic opportunities to translate climate research into collaborative action.
Through collaborative exchanges with the CS Hub in East Africa and cross-regional partnerships across Asia, RURBANISE researchers actively contribute to shared learning across global climate networks.
Grounding Research in Lived Realities: RURBANISE in Dar es Salaam
In December 2024, RURBANISE colleagues submitted applications for the CLARE CS Hub Seasonal School. Among those selected were Ana Marita Magpayo (Environmental Science for Social Change - ESSC), Ryn Lahoylahoy and Ar. Emelyn Bermundo (Technical Assistance Movement for People and Land Inc. - TAMPEI). They joined a fourth Filipino Early Career Researcher (ECR) for a trip to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from February 22 to March 1, 2025.
The week-long event focused on expanding ECR capabilities in climate resilience through interactive discussions, collaborative group work, and hands-on field visits in local Dar es Salaam settlements. Prior to the event, the team prepared a research poster presenting the unique methodologies applied in Project RURBANISE. Additionally, Emelyn Bermundo served on the Seasonal School Taskforce, helping shape the overall program design by integrating early career perspectives and expectations.
The program culminated in mini-project presentations where multidisciplinary teams synthesized their key takeaways and practical methodologies.
Personal Reflections and Key Takeaways
The impact of the Seasonal School resonated deeply with the participating team.
Reflecting on the local community visits in Dar es Salaam, Emelyn Bermundo observed striking similarities between East African settlements and the partner communities in RURBANISE. She noted:
“..research relevance is always rooted in the lived experiences of the people in the communities and has to be based on their local context, knowledge and actual needs. Failing to connect that, research will have no value for the people it is intended to despite any academic or scientific rigor applied.”
Co-facilitating sessions with international peers challenged team members to step into public speaking roles and push past their personal limits. This validates their ongoing work within RURBANISE and reinforces their roles in the broader research landscape.
The team documented their journey. On the ESSC website, Ana Marita Magpayo published Giving way to discovery, connection, and new knowledge in climate resilience research at the CLARE Seasonal School 2025, documenting how collaborative spaces empower early career researchers to refine their methods. Ryn Lahoylahoy highlighted the transformative power of informal peer exchanges and network-building, on her personal Facebook post. Meanwhile, Emelyn Bermundo’s narrative reflections were featured in a joint CS Hub blog curated by Tamara Nyirenda and Lisa Manya, focusing on the imperative of anchoring scientific research in the lived experiences and local knowledge of partner communities.
As climate impacts accelerate, the lessons learned from Dar es Salaam serve as a compelling reminder that the best research is built on connection, humility, and community-led action. By stepping out of their comfort zones, sharing methodologies, and advocating for context-driven science, RURBANISE researchers are not just acquiring new tools—they are helping shape an international research culture where local voices shape global resilience.
—
Research supported by CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action: developing new tools and supporting partner governments, communities, and the private sector to use evidence and innovation to drive effective solutions to the climate challenge, whilst building capacity of both those carrying out the research and those using the resulting evidence.
Photos courtesy of Ryn Lahoylahoy
About the Author
Janina Salubo is a Knowledge Management and Development Communications Volunteer for the RURBANISE project, specializing in translating complex resilience research into accessible insights for funders and grassroots communities.