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In Suriname, rivers are more than waterways. They are roads, marketplaces, and lifelines connecting communities deep within the country's vast and remote rainforest interior. For generations, Indigenous and Maroon communities have relied on these waterways, adapting their lives to the rhythms of nature.But those rhythms are changing.Longer dry spells, more intense flooding, and increasingly unpredictable rainfall are making it harder for these communities to grow food, earn a living, and access essential supplies. When rivers run low during droughts, boats struggle to reach remote villages. Food prices rise, transport costs increase, and families can find themselves cut off from critical goods and services.For WFP, this reality reinforces a critical lesson: resilience is built before a crisis, not in response to one.A New Approach to PreparednessAcross Suriname and the wider Caribbean, WFP is working alongside governments, national disaster management authorities, and local partners to strengthen resilience before hazards turn into humanitarian emergencies.Central to this effort is the collaboration with the Government of Suriname through the Nationaal Coördinatie Centrum voor Rampenbeheersing (NCCR) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing  (MOSAPH). Additionally further collaboration with, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ Organizations such as VIDS Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden (Association of Indigenous Village Leaders) in Suriname and KAMPOS, which stands for Kwinti, Aluku, Matawai, Paramaccaners, Okanisi, and Saramacca (the six Maroon peoples of Suriname) help to better understand risks, strengthen preparedness systems, and identify practical solutions that can help communities withstand future shocks.Addressing this challenge requires action on several fronts. These include establishing anticipatory action mechanisms that enable earlier interventions, examining supply chain vulnerabilities, strengthening livelihoods, and supporting evidence-based planning. It also recognizes that resilience cannot be achieved through a single intervention. Instead, it requires a holistic approach that brings together disaster preparedness mechanisms, shock-responsive social protection, logistics, and strong context analysis. At its core is the commitment to ensuring that Indigenous and Maroon communities themselves participate and help shape the solutions designed to support them. Learning from Communities in the Interior These priorities were brought into sharp focus during a recent WFP mission to the interior of Suriname.The mission sought to better understand the diversity of communities living far from the country's coastal centers. WFP teams worked to map critical supply chain constraints, identify logistical bottlenecks that can emerge during shocks, and assess how communities access food and essential goods throughout the year.Equally important was engaging directly with Trio Indigenous communities in the southern  Kwamalasamutu region on the border with Brazil and Saamaka Maroon communities along the Upper Suriname river, to understand how El Niño may affect livelihoods, listen to communities’ priorities and ensure support responds to their needs.These conversations revealed a powerful truth: generations of traditional knowledge hold valuable solutions for adapting to climate risks and building resilience. These knowledge systems are forms of environmental stewardship, developed over generations and central to the cultural identity, governance, and wellbeing of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' communities. The Value of Trio Indigenous KnowledgeFor centuries, Trio communities have maintained deep reciprocal relationships with their territories, developing extensive knowledge of local ecosystems, river systems, and seasonal cycles.Over time, these communities have developed practices that help them adapt to changing environmental conditions while preserving cultural traditions and social cohesion. WFP is committed to supporting and incorporating, community-driven approaches that reflect local realities, priorities, cultural contexts and respecting their rights. The most sustainable solutions are often those that build upon existing strengths, knowledge and governance systems while providing communities with additional tools, resources, and information to prepare for future shocks. Why Anticipatory Action Matters: Turning Data into ActionTraditionally, humanitarian response begins after a crisis occurs. Anticipatory action aims to change this by using forecasts and early warning systems to trigger support before the most severe impacts are felt, helping communities save lives, protect livelihoods, and safeguard food security.This is particularly important in Suriname, where climate shocks such as El Niño can disrupt river systems that remote communities rely on for transportation, livelihoods and access to food. Acting early can therefore strengthen preparedness while supporting longer-term resilience.To help turn early warning into early action, WFP brought together government agencies, technical institutions and civil society organisations like VIDS and Medical Mission for an Anticipatory Action workshop focused on Suriname. Combining community insights from field missions with risk data, technical assessments and stakeholder expertise, the workshop helped shape a more targeted and context-specific roadmap for anticipatory action in Suriname, ensuring that early warnings can translate into practical measures that reach communities when they matter most.Looking AheadAs climate risks intensify, the question is no longer whether shocks will occur, but how prepared countries and communities will be when they do.In Suriname’s Amazon, that preparedness is particularly critical. Many remote communities depend on rivers for transportation, food, livelihoods, and access to essential services. During severe drought, falling river levels can make some communities increasingly difficult to reach, disrupting supply routes and potentially cutting families off critical support just when they need it most.This is where anticipatory action can make a difference. By connecting early warning information with pre-agreed actions and financing, support can be mobilised before conditions deteriorate. Acting earlier can help protect food and livelihoods, strengthen last-mile supply chains, and reach vulnerable communities before access becomes more difficult and costly.For WFP, the value extends beyond responding sooner. Investing before a crisis can help reduce the human and operational costs of responding once a shock has escalated while strengthening national and community systems to manage future risks.By bringing together scientific forecasting, government leadership, generations of traditional knowledge   and WFP’s technical expertise, Suriname is taking important steps towards a more resilient future, one where action begins before drought deepens, where rivers recede and where the people most affected are actively engaged.