Under the Sun and in the Rain: Stories of Resilience

Discover eight true stories from Central America and the Caribbean about perseverance, innovation and hope.

Central America and the Caribbean are fertile ground not only for world-renowned crops such as cacao and coffee, but also for addressing some of the most pressing environmental and climate challenges in history.

Although this region accounts for less than 2% of the world’s land area, it is home to approximately 12% of the planet’s flora and fauna—a wealth of biodiversity that supports not only unique ecosystems, but also cultures, local economies, and ways of life intimately connected to nature.

At the same time, despite contributing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the region bears a disproportionate burden of climate change impacts: increasingly intense rainfall, prolonged droughts, and disruptions to ecosystems that threaten the natural balance and exacerbate longstanding inequalities.

This is where communities step in—women, young people, indigenous peoples, and coastal populations, many of whom rely heavily on natural resources and biodiversity. 

Supported by Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) through a wide array of cooperative projects, these communities are not only confronting these challenges but also enhancing their livelihoods and strengthening their communities as they lead the way towards sustainable solutions.

Stories of Resilience: What You Will Discover

Under the Sun and in the Rain: Stories of Resilience in Central America and the Caribbean is a new digital knowledge product presenting eight true stories of perseverance, innovation, and hope.

Readers encounter inspiring protagonists, including women ranchers and farmers, young guardians of wetlands and water ambassadors, and indigenous entrepreneurs who, despite climate challenges, are pioneering new approaches to sustainable living.

The series features the following stories:

• Taking the Bull by the Horns: Women Ranchers Carving Their Own Path (Costa Rica)

• Cooling Champions: Empowering Women in the Refrigeration Sector (Grenada)

• Returning to Our Roots: Indigenous Tourism from Within (Costa Rica)

• Water Ambassadors: A Future That Flows (Grenada)

• Harvesting Biodiversity: Women Sowing a Better Future (Dominican Republic)

• Guardians of Nature: Walking the Path to Equity (Costa Rica)

• From Farm to Fork: Women Cultivating Agro-Landscapes (Costa Rica)

• Guardians of the Wetlands: Growing with Our Feet in the Mud (Guatemala)

These stories emerge from the collaboration of diverse IKI projects, portraying climate change not merely as a threat, but as an opportunity to build a just and resilient future.

A New and Interactive Experience

The digital knowledge product is presented in a scrollytelling format—a dynamic storytelling method in which readers scroll down the page to progressively reveal content. As users scroll and interact with each story, images and text unfold alongside multimedia elements, bringing the protagonists’ journeys vividly to life. This engaging format allows readers to immerse themselves fully in each narrative, making the experience both informative and emotionally compelling.

Developed by the ACCIÓN Clima project, as IKI’s interface for Central America and the Caribbean, Under the Sun and in the Rain highlights key milestones and achievements from the IKI portfolio, while amplifying the voices of those leading transformative change across the region.

Explore their stories and discover how, under the sun and in the rain, they are sowing hope for a sustainable future.

English version

Spanish version