4.1. Building Rapport with Communities

We set up a small office in a ward G-North ward, MCGM, a research hub from there imagine this is a timeline, we started to say used to go to Dharavi and say people hey hello how are you, and then we started to build kind of rapport with the people.

In this phase, the focus is on establishing a relationship with community members. The researchers didn't begin with a structured interview or a formal agenda. Instead, they approached people casually, greeting them and initiating friendly conversations, which helped break down initial barriers. This friendly approach laid the groundwork for trust, as community members began to feel comfortable speaking openly about their concerns.

Imagine meeting a new neighbor. Instead of jumping straight into a discussion about your preferences for community rules or explaining your concerns about the local park, you take the time to introduce yourself, share a bit about your family, and ask about theirs. This casual chat helps establish a positive rapport before delving into more serious topics.

People say hello, how are you they are talking about many issues, they are concerned about their livelihood issues, their job, family issues, housing issues.

As rapport was being built, conversations naturally expanded to include various topics of concern for the community members. These concerns ranged from their jobs to housing, which illuminated the socio-economic challenges they faced. Listening actively to these issues allowed researchers to gain valuable insight into what matters most to the residents, creating an opportunity for relevant discussions about disaster risk management.

Think of a doctor who starts a consultation by asking about a patient's lifestyle rather than jumping straight into symptoms. By understanding the patient's daily life, social circumstances, and emotional state, the doctor can provide better, more personalized care. Similarly, researchers gain a clearer idea of how community factors influence disaster management.

We have chat over on tea stall and juice shop wherever whatever places we have, then they started talk about the flood and waterlogging problem in this area and we had continuous discussions.

Informal settings like tea stalls or juice shops proved to be effective for discussions. The comfortable environment encouraged people to share their experiences with floods and waterlogging issues openly. These conversations were not merely casual; they gradually shifted toward specific challenges related to disaster risk management, allowing researchers to frame their insights within the context of community needs.

Picture having a discussion about climate change while sitting in a park with your friends. The relaxed atmosphere means friends are more likely to express their opinions candidly and suggest ideas about local sustainability efforts. This is similar to how researchers leveraged informal environments to gather more honest and valuable information.

We said can we help you? can you help you some manner, before that we did not really put our plan to them we just wanted to know that this proposal should come from them and we should also try to understand them their concerns?

After fostering a comfortable dialogue, researchers posed an open question to the community about how they could assist. Important to note was the intention for the community to express their needs rather than imposing predefined solutions from outside. This approach empowered the residents, ensuring that any proposal developed was relevant to their specific challenges and desires.

Imagine a group of friends discussing where to go for dinner. Instead of one person deciding for everyone, they ask each other's preferences and opinions to arrive at a consensus that satisfies everyone. This collaborative approach fosters agreement and ensures that all preferences are valued.

So they said that yes we need some help if you can do to manage better the flood we are facing every year. So we developed risk mapping and then over the period of time we developed an action plan with them.

Once community members articulated their need for assistance with flooding, researchers collaborated with them to create risk maps that identified vulnerable areas and developed an action plan together. This collaborative effort not only facilitated a better understanding of risks but also enhanced community ownership of the solutions proposed, aligning with the principles of participatory planning.

Think of how a team at work might collaborate on a project. Instead of one person dictating tasks, the group takes the time to identify each member's strengths and how they can best contribute to achieve a successful outcome. The group creates a plan that leverages everyone's abilities, resulting in more effective and accepted strategies.

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