Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

Namaste, Mabuhay!

This year has been exceptionally challenging for many communities globally. The whirlwind of events that disrupted humanitarian assistance and development initiatives has pushed organizations and institutions to rethink their mission, goals, and sustainability. At HHI Resilient Communities (HHI RC), we remain committed to strengthening climate and disaster resilience in Southeast Asian communities. Despite uncertainties, we continue to pursue collaborative research, meaningful engagement, and translation of evidence into action. 

As we prepare for a new year of exciting resilience work in 2026, we would like to share some highlights from our programming this year: our recent efforts to inform policy on corruption and flood management in the Philippines, an overview of the alarming health impacts of disasters in South and Southeast Asia, a look back at a decade of our program's impact, exciting opportunities from Harvard, and more!  

Enjoy reading!

(clockwise) Prolonged flooding in Vietnam, post-earthquake rescue operations in the Philippines, massive flooding in Thailand, and a glacial lake expansion driven by melting glaciers in Nepal. | Photos by Nghinh Phong/VnExpress, Philippine Army, AFP/Getty, and Sharad Joshi/Nepali Times 

2025 has been a year of relentless, overlapping climate and geological disasters across South and Southeast Asia. Record-breaking heat, powerful typhoons, massive floods and landslides, and violent earthquakes have claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and pushed already fragile health systems to the brink.

Across the Himalayas, multiple climate-related disasters, including severe monsoon rains and a glacial lake outburst flood in Nepal’s Humla District in May, have displaced dozens of families...

“Trillion Peso March,” a mass protest against corruption held on 21 September 2025 in Metro Manila, Philippines. | Photo by Mark Daza/HHI RC

Following the revelation of a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal in flood control projects that shook the Philippines this year, we shared vital policy recommendations with key policymakers to effectively address the failure of flood management projects in the country. 

The policy note was written by Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino, Program Director of HHI RC, and Dr. Pamela Gloria Cajilig, Senior Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity in Southeast Asia at the Atlantic Institute of the Rhodes Trust, University of Oxford. 

Our recommendations emphasized the need for the government to mandate independent and transparent evaluation and oversight, require integrated flood risk management, and institutionalize evidence-based solutions and open science...

Over the past decade, HHI RC has helped advance disaster and climate resilience in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Nepal. By weaving rigorous research with cross-sector collaboration, convening, policy integration, tool development, and strategic communications, HHI RC has generated actionable knowledge and lasting impact while learning valuable lessons that continue to guide and strengthen our programming. 

Here's a rundown of the 10 key lessons we have learned from 10 years of programming...

(left to right) Prof. Chao Ren of the University of Hong Kong, Prof. Heng Cai of Texas A&M University, Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino of Harvard University, Prof. Shangjia Dong, University of Delaware, and Dr. Lois Addo Agyepong of Shandong University | Photo by Dr. Bollettino 

Dr. Vincenzo Bollettino joined as a panelist at the International Conference on Climate Resilience held at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany, on 26-29 October 2025. 

Dr. Bollettino discussed strengthening resilience in healthcare systems and presented his latest paper titled "From Anxiety to Action: Eco-Anxiety as a Driver of Disaster Preparedness and Adaptation in the Philippines." We will share more about this research next year!

Mark Daza, HHI RC Project and Communications Manager (back row, second from left), with the Americares Philippines' joint steering committee and technical advisory committee. | Photo by Americares Philippines

HHI RC has supported the development of Americares' Climate Resilience Toolkit for Health Centers in the Philippines by sharing research expertise from Dr. Bolletino, who served on the technical advisory committee for the project. 

The toolkit is a resource that guides healthcare providers, facility administrators, patients, and community members to protect people's health from climate-related hazards, particularly typhoons, floods, and extreme heat. 

The toolkit was developed by Americares in collaboration with the Harvard Chan C-CHANGE at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and more than 35 local organizations in the Philippines.

Humanitarian Response Intensive Course (HRIC) 

HRIC is an in-person course conducted at Harvard University and offered annually by HHI for professionals from around the world. The course introduces participants to primary humanitarian frameworks (human rights, livelihoods, Sphere standards, and international humanitarian law) and covers practical field issues such as personal and team security, rapid assessments, application of minimum standards for food security, shelter, and WASH, as well as operational approaches to relations with military actors in humanitarian settings.



Program dates: 21 April–3 May 2026 

Eligibility: Open to humanitarian professionals and students.

Dynamic Leadership for Humanitarian Leaders: Navigating Through Crisis and Complexity 

This online, asynchronous course offered by HHI provides an in-depth exploration of dynamic leadership and is designed to strengthen the essential skills that humanitarian professionals need in the most complex environments. 



Program year: 2026 

Eligibility: Open to early- and mid-career humanitarian professionals.

Discounts: Learners located in the Global South receive a 20% tuition reduction. Registrations by 15 February 2026 get a 20% early enrollment discount.

Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab Hackathon 

The HSIL Hackathon is a 2-day intensive, collaborative event where participants brainstorm and pitch new ideas to tackle a specific challenge and develop a functional prototype or product.



Program dates: 10–11 April 2026 

Eligibility: Open to students, professionals, and anyone passionate about health systems and innovation. 

Application deadline: 30 January 2026



Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights Fellowships 

The Carr-Ryan Center at the Harvard Kennedy School offers several year-long fellowships on advancing human rights globally: 

• Carr-Ryan Center Fellowship 
• Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Fellowship 
• Racial Justice Fellowship 
• Technology and Human Rights Fellowship 

Program dates: 1 September 2026–30 June 2027 

Eligibility: Open to researchers, advocates, and human rights leaders.

Application deadline: 22 February 2026

Meet Yvonne Su, PhD, MSc 

Dr. Yvonne Su is a new Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Rights and Equity Studies at York University and a Research Fellow at Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS).  

Her interdisciplinary expertise spans forced migration, queer migration, global remittance economies, climate change adaptation, and climate (im)mobilities. Her research adopts a policy-oriented, community-based approach, undertaking field-based research across the Global South. Dr. Su has secured over $12 million in external research funding. Currently, she is part of three multi-million-dollar climate grants examining climate adaptation in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Ghana, Canada, and the Arctic.

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