Community engagement models have been used in crisis management for years. The involvement of those affected, local stakeholders and relevant contact persons in decisions on crisis prevention and management increases the compliance and effectiveness of necessary measures.
In the case of acute health events such as epidemics, “community engagement” can be decisive for whether communities cooperate or not. At the same time, these participatory strategies enable indicators of vulnerability and resilience to be better recorded and used in the event of a crisis. Because the vulnerability of a community is not only a function of the physical environment, but also a function of social variables. However, traditional models of community engagement were mostly not developed specifically for health emergencies such as epidemics or pandemics, nor are there effective models that target high-income countries.
CAVE will combine innovative models of "community engagement" and vulnerability assessment and expertise from social science and humanities (GSK) disaster research with possible technical applications and produce applicable solutions. The aim is to analyze where risks and vulnerabilities may exist in the future and in the event of possible new pandemic scenarios ("disease X") and how these can be countered in a participatory manner.