Bolivia: Local financing model for resilience

ORGANISATION
Practical Action Bolivia

LOCATION
Puerto Yumani, Rurrenabaque, Beni, Bolivia

A collaborative approach to disaster risk management

Puerto Yumani is emerging as a benchmark for disaster risk management (DRM) and resilience in Bolivia, thanks to a local financing model combining municipal investment and indigenous coordination. A key intervention is the construction of an elevated community shelter, designed to protect lives and livelihoods from recurrent flooding, demonstrating the effectiveness of public-community co-investment.

Financing resilience

The shelter responds to needs identified through the Zurich Alliance’s Flood Resilience Measurement (FRMC) analysis conducted in 2022 in Puerto Yumani and 12 other communities. The Autonomous Municipal Government (GAM) of Rurrenabaque invested 29.5% of the total project funds from its annual operating budget. The community contributed 27.5% through labour and locally sourced materials, while Practical Action and partner NGOs contributed 42.2% to support participatory planning, early warning systems, and complementary resilience measures.

Public-private financing as an advocacy tool

This investment model goes beyond infrastructure. By allocating funds through the Annual Operational Plan (POA), GAM institutionalised a replicable model of multi-stakeholder cooperation, integrating disaster risk management into local governance structures and strengthening the financial, social, and human capital of the community.

Multi-stakeholder coordination and governance

The project’s success relies on clear roles and collaboration:

• GAM Rurrenabaque: Institutional investment, technical monitoring, and sustainability oversight.
• Community of Puerto Yumani: Labour, materials, and active participation in shelter construction.
• Practical Action and NGOs: Funding support, capacity building, and facilitation of contingency planning, early warning systems, and water management.

Impact on community resilience

The shelter and coordinated approach have strengthened local resilience by protecting vulnerable populations, reducing economic losses from flooding, and fostering community ownership. Women and young people have been actively engaged, supporting leadership development and embedding disaster risk management into local practices.

Lessons learned

The Puerto Yumani experience shows that combining public investment with organised community action is a highly effective strategy for building resilient territories. By ensuring resources are both available and locally managed, disaster risk reduction moves from theory into practice, safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and the long-term development of communities.

This International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, GNDR calls for governments, donors, the private sector and financial institutions to prioritise funding for resilience, not just funding for disasters when they strike.

All photos: Practical Action Bolivia