People living in informal urban settlements are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather, like storms, floods and heatwaves. Yet these same communities are often unable to access weather information that could help save their lives or prevent devastating damage to their homes and livelihoods.
DARAJA (Developing Risk Awareness through Joint Action) is a weather forecasting and early warning system specifically for residents of informal settlements. It operates in Kenya and Tanzania, where it provides regular, reliable weather information in accessible, easy-to-understand formats. The service also encourages people to carry out repairs to their homes and public spaces to minimise weather-related damage.
Informal settlement communities were heavily involved in the design of the service, which is run by global social enterprise, Resurgence, in partnership with a wide network of local organisations. DARAJA has received $2 million USD in funding through Resurgence and has an annual budget of $300,000 USD.
Since September 2018, DARAJA has provided almost 1 million people in Kenya and Tanzania with better weather information, and it is believed that accessing the service has led to a 300% increase in household repairs made in response to weather forecasts in Nairobi, and a 122% increase in Dar es Salaam. The service is now developing in Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia. It is also being adapted for use in small island states. DARAJA hopes 25% of the 1 billion people living in informal settlements worldwide will be able to access its services by 2030.
