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BACKGROUND: During the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health orders disrupted income generation in numerous sectors and many governments provided emergency financial support. Access to government support and changes in engagement in sex work during the early period of the pandemic among people who use drugs (PWUD) are not well described. In the present study, we investigate the prevalence and correlates of engaging in sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic, among PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS: Data derived from three harmonized cohorts of PWUD. Using multivariable logistic regression, we characterized factors associated with engaging in sex work in the last month between July 17 and November 30, 2020. Reports of changes in frequency of engagement in sex work since the pandemic were also collected. RESULTS: Of the 864 individuals included in this analysis, 55 (6.4%) reported sex work engagement in the last month. Among these participants, 40.7% reported receiving COVID-19 income support in the past month vs. 52.7% of the rest of the sample, though receipt of income support in the past six months was similar between the two groups (72.2% vs. 75.7%, p = 0.624). In multivariable analysis, receipt of financial support in the last month was negatively associated with engagement in sex work in the last month (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.44 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-0.81]). Among 69 participants who responded to a question regarding changes in engagement in sex work, 38 (55.1%) reported a decrease, 11 (15.9%) reported an increase, 19 (27.5%) reported no change, and 1 (1.4%) reported cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings document that engagement in sex work appears to have declined early in the pandemic. Participants who received income support in the past month were less likely to report recent engagement in sex work. Findings suggest that recent receipt of income support may have contributed to reductions in engagement in sex work. Additional investigation is warranted.

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BACKGROUND: There is little evidence on how to support ultra-poor people with disabilities to adopt sustainable livelihoods. The Disability-Inclusive Graduation (DIG) programme targets ultra-poor people with disabilities and/or women living in rural Uganda. The programme is an adaptation of an ultra-poor graduation model that has been shown to be effective in many contexts but not evaluated for people with disabilities. METHODS: The DIG programme works with project participants over a period of 18 months. Participants receive unconditional cash transfers for 6 months, training, access to savings-and-loans groups, and a capital asset that forms the basis of their new livelihood. The programme is also adapted to address specific barriers that people with disabilities face. Eligible households are clustered by geographical proximity in order to deliver the intervention. Eligibility is based on household screening to identify the 'ultra-poor' based on proxy means testing-both households with and without people with disabilities are included in the programme. Clusters are randomly selected prior to implementation, resulting in 96 intervention and 89 control clusters. The primary outcome of the trial is per-capita household consumption. Before the start of the intervention, a baseline household survey is conducted (November 2020) among project participants and those not offered the programme, a similar endline survey is conducted with participants with disabilities at the end of programme implementation in July 2022, and a second endline survey for all participants in October 2023. These activities are complemented by a process evaluation to understand DIG programme implementation, mechanisms, and context using complementary qualitative and quantitative methods. Ethical approval for the research has been received from Mildmay Uganda Research Ethics Committee and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. DISCUSSION: DIG is a promising intervention to evaluate for people with disabilities, adapted to be disability inclusive across programme components through extensive consultations and collaboration, and has proven efficacy at reducing poverty in other marginalised groups. However, evaluating a well-evidenced intervention among a new target group poses ethical considerations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry for International Development Impact Evaluations, RIDIE-STUDY-ID-626008898983a (20/04/22). ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN78592382 . Retrospectively registered on 17/08/2023.

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With the increasing digital transformation of rural industries, the digital economy is considered a new driving force for consolidating the achievements of eradicating poverty and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. This study constructs a multidimensional index to measure the digital application level of rural households based on microsurvey data and empirically investigates the economic returns and mechanism of its effects. The results show that digital application significantly improves the economic situation of households. For every 1 unit increase in the level of digital application, per capita net income of households will increase by 0.427 units, and the relative poverty incidence will decrease by 0.421 units. Mechanism analysis shows that the level of digital application in rural households can significantly improve the technical abilities of household members, promote non-agricultural employment, and increase the share of agricultural and sideline business operations, thus improving the economic situation of households. Further research shows that the economic returns obtained from digitization in rural households exhibit significant regional differences. This study provides research support on how to better examine the role of the digital economy for rural households to generate wealth and increase income.

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Gonimbrasia belina (mopane worm) and Cirina forda caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) are mostly found in shrubs and trees, from where they are collected as larvae and are widely consumed across southern Africa by rural and increasingly urban populations. These caterpillars are among the most prominent, traded, and economically beneficial edible insects found in Western African countries, but also in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over the years, these caterpillars have evolved from being part of the diet in various communities to playing a vital role in income generation. In addition, consumption of G. belina and C. forda caterpillars as potential food sources has gained momentum due to their potential for contributing to livelihoods and mitigating food security challenges across Africa while providing significant benefits to developing countries on a socio-economic and ecological level. Edible caterpillars serve as a good source of rich nutrients such as proteins, fatty acids, and micronutrients and can be used in formulating nutrient-dense complementary foods. However, limited information is available, specifically on different trees that serve as hosts to these caterpillars, as they depend on the leaves as their only source of food. In addition, the review aims to critique and document knowledge on the nutritional benefits, acceptance of the use of these caterpillars as food security, commercial value, and level of acceptance towards the utilization of caterpillars as food sources.

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Background: In India, mental health rehabilitation centers run income generation programs (IGP) for therapeutic engagement, skills training, and income generation of clients. The centers have evolved IGP models relevant to their settings. There is a paucity of published literature on practices employed by the centers. Methods: This paper compiles data gathered from visits to 13 centers between November 2018 and April 2019. Information was collected through observation and interviews with staff involved in IGP, using a semi-structured pro forma designed for study. Results: Most centers were based in south India (n = 11) and urban areas (n = 12). Each center ran two to seven IGP. Each center involved 20-50 clients in IGP. Clients involved in IGP were aged 20-60 years. The centers ran a range of IGP, including the manufacturing of household consumables, paper products, textile products, handicraft products, food products, and jute products; animal husbandry and horticulture initiatives; and running cafeterias and petty shops. IGP were mostly selected based on market demand and sales value of products (n = 11); ease of doing (n = 5); interests, abilities, exposure, and experience of clients (n = 5); and availability of resources (n = 3). Products were priced primarily to cover input and labor costs (n = 8), and many centers sold products below the market rates (n = 5). Running stalls during public events was a common strategy for the sale of products (n = 9). Personal contacts and "word of mouth" publicity were used for advertisement (n = 6). Four centers involved family members in IGP. Conclusion: The nature of IGP varied in terms of setting, available resources, and profile of clients availing the services. Marketing and sales were a challenge. A supportive framework of policies and schemes is essential to promote IGP at mental health rehabilitation centers. This report may be helpful for professionals and centers planning to set up an IGP.

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Donkeys provide important resources and benefits for millions of people worldwide. However, global donkey populations are under increasing pressure from the growing demand for a traditional Chinese medicine, e'jiao, made from donkey-skin. The objective of this reflexive, qualitative thematic analysis was to examine the role of donkeys with 262 participants in northern Ghana and how donkeys contribute to livelihood outcomes, especially their use by women and children. Data were collected from four surveys, 12 in-depth interviews and 84 daily time budgets with the same participants, plus 16 focus groups, during one wet and one dry season across 2018-19. Uniquely, boys and girls between the ages of 10-16-years old were interviewed. Donkeys are highly valued by their owners as they play a valuable role in providing a pathway out of ultra-poverty. Donkeys' contributions to livelihoods are significant and more complex than previously understood and documented in the literature. Donkey ownership confers up to six different income benefits in comparison to non-donkey owners. Female owners of donkeys reported that donkeys can contribute between 30-60% of their income. Children of both sexes can play an important role in the efficient deployment of one of these income generating activities.

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BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated how income-generating activities among marginalized people who use drugs (PWUD)-including employment, income assistance, street-based activities, sex work, and illegal activities-can provide both benefit (e.g., additional income) and harm (e.g., violence, criminalization). However, little is known about gender differences in factors such as drug use patterns that are associated with income-generating activities among PWUD. METHODS: Using data from prospective cohorts of HIV-positive and HIV-negative PWUD in Vancouver, Canada, we conducted exploratory gender-stratified analyses of associations between substance use patterns and income-generating activities, using generalized linear mixed-models. RESULTS: Participants reported income sources as employment (23.4 %), income assistance (88.1 %), street-based activities (24.9 %), sex work (15.2 %), drug dealing (31.5 %), or other illegal activities (13.9 %). GLMM results showed gendered patterns of engagement in specific income-generating activities and some diverging patterns of substance use. For instance, men receiving income assistance were less likely to use opioids (Adjusted odds ratio(AOR) = 0.64; 95 % confidence interval(CI) = 0.50-0.82) and women engaged in sex work were more likely to use crack-cocaine (AOR = 2.74, 95 % CI = 2.22-3.37). However, results reflected primarily converging patterns of substance use between women and men across income-generating activities, particularly for drug dealing and other illegal activities. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that substance use patterns may be more closely associated with income generation context than gender. Given potential harms associated with some income generation activities, results highlight the need for further investigation of the social and structural context of income generation, its intersections with gender and substance use, and the expansion of low-threshold work opportunities.

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OBJECTIVE: As HIV transitions to a chronic disease, measures that foster continued health are critical. Peer support groups can help in reducing stigma and ensuring wellbeing for those living with HIV. The purpose of our study was to gain an understanding of the ways in which women living with HIV in rural areas sustain peer support groups. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: For this descriptive qualitative study, 20 women living with HIV participated in the study. Women were randomly divided into two peer support groups of ten women each; the groups met over a 12-month period. monthly for the first two months and then every three months for the remainder of the year. RESULTS: Discussion themes indicated women found ways to sustain the groups by using them as a platform for engaging in income generation; starting and participating in table banking; addressing food security; and finding financial and moral support. Problem-solving challenges of sustaining peer support groups was also a major theme. CONCLUSION: As people live longer with HIV, long-term peer support will be needed to maintain wellbeing. Community-based peer support groups can be sustained by engaging women in common income-generation activities.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world into an unprecedented crisis and uncertainty, calling to expedite the implementation of the Centenary Declaration. It called upon constituents to pursue 'with unrelenting vigour its [ILO] constitutional mandate for social justice by further developing its human centred approach to the future of work'. It called for putting workers' rights and the needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies. The international community and ILO's constituents have engaged in a collective endeavour to tackle the devastating human impact of the pandemic, but more is needed.

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The COVID-19 emergency has had a dramatic impact on market incomes and income-support policies. The lack of timely available data constrains the estimation of the scale and direction of recent changes in the income distribution, which in turn constrains policymakers seeking to monitor such developments. We overcome the lack of data by proposing a dynamic calibrated microsimulation approach to generate counterfactual income distributions as a function of more timely external data than are available in dated income surveys. We combine nowcasting methods using publicly available data and a household income generation model to perform the first calibrated simulation based upon actual data, aiming to assess the distributional implications of the COVID-19 crisis in Ireland. Overall, we find that the crisis had an equalizing real-time effect for both gross and disposable incomes, notwithstanding the significant hardship experienced by many households.

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This study examines the link between the loss of men's status as breadwinners and their use of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Kirumba (Mwanza city, Tanzania), mediated by the entry of women into the cash work force. Using qualitative data from 20 in-depth interviews and eight focus groups with men (n = 58) and women (n = 58), this article explores how the existing gender-related social norm linked to male breadwinning was threatened when women were forced to enter into paid work (linked to the family's impoverishment), and how these changes eventually increased partner violence. The study draws implications for IPV reduction strategies in patriarchal contexts experiencing declining economic opportunities for men.

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RESUMEN Este artículo toma la discusión de los activos físicos del enfoque activos, vulnerabilidad y estructura de oportunidades (AVEO) y, dentro de ellos, las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC), para analizar la importancia que tienen en la disminución de la vulnerabilidad por la falta de generación de ingresos de los jóvenes en Colombia. Como métodos se hizo revisión documental sobre el enfoque AVEO, se analizó cómo desde la teoría las TIC pueden ser un instrumento de movilización social, se revisaron estadísticas del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) y la Comisión Económica para América Latina (Cepal). La hipótesis de este artículo es que el acceso a las TIC en Colombia es aún insuficiente y que garantizar este es fundamental para disminuir la vulnerabilidad de los jóvenes colombianos.

ABSTRACT: This article takes the discussion of the physical assets of the Assets, Vulnerability and Oportunidades Structure (AVEO) approach and, within them, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), to analyze the importance they have in decreasing the frequency for the lack of income generation of young people in Colombia. How the documentary review on the AVEO approach was made; then it was analyzed as from the theory, ICT can be an instrument of social mobilization; After reviewing the statistics of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC). The hypothesis of this document is access to ICT in Colombia is even more insufficient and that access is fundamental to reduce the vulnerability of young Colombians.

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Introdução: O presente artigo insere-se no contexto de um relato de experiência de uma prática de oficina de geração de renda, realizada pelas residentes do Programa de Residência Multiprofissional Integrada em Saúde Mental no Sistema Público de Saúde da UFSM. Objetivo: apresentar, a partir de um relato de experiência, a percepção dos familiares sobre a temática do trabalho e geração de renda para os usuários que participaram da Oficina de Experimentações de Geração de Renda de um CAPS II de um município da região central do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Métodos: A partir das vivências com usuários e familiares, foram observadas algumas percepções sobre a temática do trabalho e geração de renda, as quais foram organizadas nos temas: família: conceitos e cuidado; trabalho; e oficina de geração de renda para o familiar. Conclusão: observou-se que os familiares dos usuários que participaram da oficina reconhecem a importância dessa prática como espaço de criação de sentidos, produção de vínculos, novas relações, afeto e trocas, bem como um lugar de inclusão social e um fator relevante à manutenção da qualidade de vida, do bem-estar e da autoestima de seus familiares.

Introdução: This article is part of an experience report of an income-generating workshop practice conducted by residents of the Multiprofessional Residency Program Integrated in Mental Health in the Public Health System. Objective: The purpose of this article is to present, from a experience report, the family members perception about the work theme and the generation of income for the users who participated in the Workshop on Income Generation Experiences of a Psychosocial Attention Centers II of a municipality in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul state. Methods: Based on the experiences with users and family members, some perceptions about work and income generation were observed, which were organized in the following themes: family: concepts and care; work; and workshop income for the family. Conclusion: it was observed that the relatives of the users who participated in the workshop recognized the importance of this practice as a space for the creation of meanings, production of bonds, new relationships, affection and exchanges, as well as a place of social inclusion and as a relevant factor the maintenance of the quality of life, well-being and selfesteem of their families.

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BACKGROUND: Informal recycling refers to the street-based collection of discarded materials for reuse, resale, or return to a recycling facility for money. While qualitative research has explored experiences and perceptions of informal recycling, little is known about the scope and exposures associated with informal recycling among people who use drugs (PWUD). METHODS: Using data from two prospective longitudinal cohorts of PWUD, we examined the prevalence of informal recycling and its association with social, structural and health risks, including criminal justice system involvement. RESULTS: Between June 2010 and May 2015, of 1664 participants, 557 (33.5%) reported engaging in informal recycling during the study period. In multivariable generalised estimating equations (GEE) analyses, informal recycling was positively associated with injection drug use (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.43, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.21-1.68), public injection (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.49), methamphetamine use (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.05-1.72), difficulty finding harm reduction equipment (AOR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.32), and police interactions (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.18-1.55). Sub-analyses revealed PWUD engaged in informal recycling were more likely to be told to move on, ticketed, stopped for jaywalking, and directed to services by police. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest informal recycling as a situated practice for PWUD, with potential indications for higher-risk drug use, experiencing greater surveillance, and difficulty accessing health and addiction treatment services. This research highlights the significance of the broader risk environment and the need for health-promoting policies for socioeconomically marginalised PWUD engaged in informal recycling.

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BACKGROUND: Income is an important determinant of health among people who use drugs (PWUD). However, understanding transitions between differing types of income generation within the formal and informal economy and how they can be shaped by vulnerability to risk and harm remain poorly understood. This study examines how transitions in income-generating activities are shaped by and influence exposure to violence among marginalised PWUD, in Vancouver, Canada's, Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals engaged in informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, focusing on relationships between income generation and violence during the study period between January 2014 to April 2015 and drew upon concepts of social violence when interpreting these themes. RESULTS: Participants' engagement in informal and illegal income-generating activities represented a means to negotiate survival given multiple barriers to formal employment and inadequate economic supports. Our findings highlight how informal and illegal income-generating activities in the DTES are characterized by structural, symbolic and everyday violence, while transitions from 'high risk' (e.g., sex work, drug dealing) to perceived 'low risk' (e.g., recycling) activities represent attempts to reduce exposure to violence. However, participants emphasized how informal income generation was nonetheless shaped by structural violence (e.g., gendered hierarchies and police harassment), experienced as everyday violence, and introduced exposure to alternate risks. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the critical role of income generation in shaping exposure to violence, highlighting the need for low-threshold employment interventions targeting PWUD as a central component of harm reduction strategies.

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BACKGROUND: Although the initiation of injection drug use has been well characterized among at-risk youth, factors that support or impede cessation of injection drug use have received less attention. We sought to identify socioeconomic factors associated with cessation of injection drug use among street-involved youth. METHODS: From September 2005 to May 2015, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a prospective cohort study of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. Multivariate extended Cox regression was utilized to identify socioeconomic factors associated with cessation of injection drug use for six months or longer among youth who were actively injecting. RESULTS: Among 383 participants, 171 (44.6%) youth reported having ceased injection (crude incidence density 22 per 100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 19-26) at some point during study follow-up. Youth who had recently dealt drugs (adjusted hazard ration [AHR], 0.50; 95% CI, 0.29-0.87), engaged in prohibited street-based income generation (AHR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.69), and engaged in illegal income generating activities (AHR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.06-0.61) were significantly less likely to report cessation of injection drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that socioeconomic factors, in particular engagement in prohibited street-based and illegal income generating activities, may pose barriers to ceasing injection drug use among this population. Effort to improve access to stable and secure income, as well as employment opportunities may assist youth in transitioning away from injection drug use. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our study is not a randomized controlled trial; thus the trial registration is not applicable.

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INTRODUCTION: Socioeconomically marginalized people who use illicit drugs (PWUD) often engage in alternative income generating activities to meet their basic needs. These activities commonly carry a number of health and social risks, which may prompt some PWUD to consider addiction treatment to reduce their drug use or drug-related expenses. We sought to determine whether engaging in certain forms of income generation was independently associated with self-reported need for addiction treatment among a cohort of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada. METHODS: Data from two prospective cohorts of PWUD in Vancouver were used in generalized estimating equations to identify factors associated with self-reported need for addiction treatment, with a focus on income generating activities. RESULTS: Between June 2013 and May 2014, 1285 respondents participated in the study of whom 483 (34.1%) were female and 396 (30.8%) indicated that they needed addiction treatment. In final multivariate analyses, key factors significantly and positively associated with self-reported need for addiction treatment included engaging in illegal income generating activities (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI}: 1.11-3.46); sex work (AOR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.05-2.47), homelessness (AOR=1.65, 95% CI: 1.22-2.25); and recent engagement in counselling (AOR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.40-2.44). DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that key markers of socioeconomic marginalization are strongly linked with a stated need for addiction treatment. These findings underscore the need to provide appropriate and accessible addiction treatment access to marginalized PWUD and to consider alternative approaches to reduce socioeconomic disadvantage.

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A pervasive cultural practice called 'jaboya' or women trading sex for fish exists at Nyamware Beach, on Lake Victoria in Kenya, where the fishing industry is the primary source of income. This case study describes how an innovative market-based solution succeeded in changing the gender dynamics on Nyamware beach and empowering women with the means of production in the industry. Over the course of 6 months, three boats were built for women to own and manage, and 29 women and 20 men received business skills training while establishing local community savings and loans associations. This project succeeded in quickly adjusting the economic imbalance that previously left women few options but to exchange sex to purchase the best fish for food and for distribution. Participating women applied resulting increased income to school fees for children and toward their households and businesses. Women owning businesses, earning income and gaining a voice in the community has changed the gender dynamics of men working on the boats for women and has positively altered the perception of women in the community. Additionally, this project offers potential health benefits such as a reduction in the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections due to reduced rates of transactional sex, and reduced rates of depression, alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder from transactional sex, which can be traumatic. The success of this project demonstrates that small and innovative approaches addressing root causes of economic and social inequality can improve health and promote sustainable economic development.

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INTRODUCTION: Global consciousness on climate change problems and adaptation revolves around the disparity of information sharing and communication gap between theoretical scientific knowledge at academic end and practical implications of these at the vulnerable populations' end. Coastal communities facing socio-economic stress, like densely populated Sundarbans, are the most affected part of the world, exposed to climate change problems and uncertainties. This article explores the successes of a socio-environmental project implemented at Indian Sundarbans targeted towards economic improvement and aims at communicating environmental conservation through organized community participation. CASE DESCRIPTION: Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and the wealth rank tool (WRT) were used to form a "group based organization" with 2100 vulnerable families to give them knowledge about capacity building, disaster management, resource conservation and sustainable agriculture practices. Training was conducted with the selected group members on resource conservation, institution building, alternative income generation activities (AIGA) like, Poultry, Small business, Tricycle van, Organic farming and disaster management in a participatory mode. The climate change 'problems-solutions' were communicated to this socio-economically marginalized and ostracized community through participatory educational theater (PET). DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: WRT revealed that 45 % of the population was under economic stress. Out of 2100 beneficiaries', 1015 beneficiaries' started organic farming, 133 beneficiaries' adopted poultry instead of resource exploitive livelihood and 71 beneficiaries' engaged themselves with small business, which was the success stories of this project. To mitigate disaster, 10-committees were formed and the endemic knowledge about climate change was recorded by participatory method validated through survey by structured questionnaire. As a part of this project 87 ha of naked deforested mudflat was reclaimed with endangered mangroves involving target community members aimed to sequester CO2, control soil erosion and act as a barrier during natural disasters. CONCLUSION: This case study concluded that participatory method of communication, aiming not only to communicate theoretical knowledge, but also to devise adaptation strategies through conservation of endemic knowledge, popularizing sustainability through Micro Finance Institutions and promoting AIGA along with motivating vulnerable community to restore degraded forest lands, could be a effective solution to practically combat climate change problems.