The initiative focuses on climate change impacts, specifically flooding, in the Sendawula Zone of Kosovo Informal Settlement, with attention to women-headed households.

The overarching theme is participatory loss and damage assessment and climate justice, emphasizing the quantification of real and perceived socio-economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities.

The main goal of the practice is to generate detailed, household-level data on the costs of climate change-induced flooding, to inform strategies that address differentiated vulnerabilities—especially those affecting women-headed households—and support climate justice and evidence-based interventions.

This practice primarily benefits women-headed households in Sendawula Zone, Kosovo Informal Settlement, by highlighting their unique vulnerabilities to flooding. It also supports the broader community through improved understanding of climate impacts, and aids civil society organizations, policymakers, and urban planners with evidence-based data to design targeted interventions. Additionally, the research contributes to climate justice knowledge, informing advocacy and strategies for inclusive, gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and resilience-building.

The participating population consisted of 30 women-headed households in the Sendawula Zone of Kosovo Informal Settlement, who actively engaged in the Climate Change Impact Assessment and Justice Tool (CCIAJT) research. The beneficiary population includes these households and the wider local community, as well as civil society organizations, policymakers, and urban planners, who gain evidence-based insights to inform gender-responsive climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and climate justice interventions.

The initiative engaged 30 women-headed households in Sendawula Zone, Kosovo Informal Settlement, as the primary participants. These households represent residents of an urban informal settlement who are highly vulnerable to climate-induced flooding. The population is predominantly women, with varied ages, livelihoods, and socio-economic backgrounds. Qualitative insights captured perceived and real impacts of flooding, while quantitative data measured losses, damages, and costs at the household level, providing a comprehensive understanding of climate vulnerabilities and resilience needs.

This practice is crucial because it links climate change impacts to human rights and habitat protection. By quantifying the losses and damages experienced by vulnerable households, particularly women-headed households, it highlights the right to adequate housing, safety, and livelihood security. The data empowers communities, informing policies and interventions that promote equitable access to resources, strengthen climate resilience, and ensure climate justice, thereby protecting both human rights and the sustainability of informal urban habitats.

This practice directly aligns with HIC’s thematic area of “Defending Habitat and Environmental Rights”, as it addresses the impacts of climate change on vulnerable urban communities and the loss of safe, adequate housing. It also connects to “Climate Justice and Human Rights”, by centering women-headed households, documenting differentiated vulnerabilities, and generating evidence to inform equitable policies and interventions that protect human rights and promote resilient, sustainable habitats.

The practice addressed the challenge of climate change–induced flooding in the Sendawula Zone of Kosovo Informal Settlement, which disproportionately affects women-headed households and other vulnerable residents. Many households lacked data on the real and perceived costs of these impacts, limiting access to resources, support, and effective interventions.

To respond, HDA, in partnership with HLRN, implemented a participatory research approach using the Climate Change Impact Assessment and Justice Tool (CCIAJT). This approach combined household surveys, interviews, and community engagement to collect detailed quantitative and qualitative data on loss, damage, and adaptation needs, ensuring that the experiences of the most vulnerable populations informed evidence-based advocacy and planning.