Case Study – the Ibasho Model
Ibasho is a non-profit organization that promotes the value of socially integrating elders, and demonstrates the multi-generational social, economic, and environmental benefits of such communities in both developed and developing countries.
The “Ibasho” approach helps strengthen the social capital of communities, particularly those recovering from disasters and epidemics, by giving community members of all ages and abilities a place where they can develop deeper connections with each other. These community hubs provide a platform for useful and relevant contributions to the community, such as through the development and implementation of sustainable livelihood projects, and create an enabling environment for traditionally excluded groups by bolstering resilience and agency.
The Ibasho model has been successfully implemented in Ofunato, Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and Barangay Bagong Buhay, Ormoc province, Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. The model is in the early stages of translation in the village of Matatirtha, in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal, after 7.8 magnitude earthquake of April 2015 caused massive destruction, affecting more than 8,000 people.
Ibasho: Empowering Elders for Resilience (video case study)
Ibasho case study on coalition buidling (text)
