# Volume 2: "Resilience in the Face of COVID-19" ==== Introduction ==== The viral infection that is coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brought a myriad of challenges for the world’s population. People previously wrote stories about a disease outbreak that would turn the world on its head. We saw the first versions with HIV, SARS and H1N1 but the last two years brought a lot of the fiction to life. Everyday life was changed for people in all parts of the world whether directly through loss of lives and loved ones or indirectly through the economic costs that spread far and wide. In the face of the pandemic, countries closed borders and nationalism was rife. Vaccine apartheid and the dominance of pharmaceutical companies meant that access to vaccines was out of reach for many people. At a national level, governments made decisions about lock-downs and restrictions that led to livelihoods of ordinary people being threatened. Whilst some countries offered aid and support to their citizens, COVID-19 showed us how limited this was and continues to be. Alternatives coming from the grassroots has been critical to helping people through the hardship brought on by the pandemic. Some of these alternatives were established before the pandemic whilst others came about as a result of the pandemic. In all cases, pandemic solidarity has shown us the resilience that exists in our communities and the importance of local agency, capacity and knowledge in times of crisis. This is the second volume of a collection of various narratives from around the world based on collaborative writing. Together with the [[.:01|first volume]], they provide us multifaceted expressions of resistance to dominant forms of oppression—to defend local ways of life, strengthen local autonomy, and reconstruct societies. These examples show that COVID-19 and the problems it has highlighted in society (all of which have been around for much longer, of course, but are more sharply visible now) have solutions—already demonstrated by communities, initiatives and civil society. They give important lessons and pathways for just, equitable, and ecologically resilient futures. In the brief presentation of the resilience cases that follow, the Global Tapestry of Alternatives has tried to highlight how alternatives that focus on solidarity, care, sustainable living, connection between culture and nature, and sovereignty can allow people to survive and thrive during crises. We share these stories as a way to learn from each other but also to promote solidarity networks and strategic alliances amongst all these alternatives on local, regional and global levels. ==== Download it ==== **{{ :reports:pandemic:02-resilience_in_the_face_covid19.pdf |Here you can download the PDF version of the report}}** [[https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/_media/reports:pandemic:02-resilience_in_the_face_covid19.pdf|{{ :reports:pandemic:02-resilience_in_the_face_covid19.jpg?nolink&400 |}}]] Alternatives coming from the grassroots has been critical to helping people through the hardship brought on by the pandemic. ==== Credits ===== This document has been coordinated and put together by Vasna Ramasar, Andrew Zoll, Charlotte Estey, Linnea Kronebrant and Viviane Straub with inputs from GTA core team members Ashish Kothari, Lina Alvarez, Shristhee Bajpai, Franco Augusto and Urvi Shah. ==== How to cite ===== ``` Global Tapestry of Alternatives (2022). "Resilience in the face of COVID-19". Weaving Solidarity and Hope: Beyond Pandemics and Lockdowns – Volume 2. Available at: https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/reports:pandemic:02 ``` ~~NOTOC~~