Three Actions to Build Resilient Schools and Hospitals in the Caribbean

Resilient educational and health infrastructure is essential for the development of the Caribbean, a region highly vulnerable to disasters such as hurricanes, which cause severe damage to infrastructure, services, and communities.

This vulnerability compounds the region's significant infrastructure gap: in sectors like water, transportation, and electricity, the shortfall could range from US$19.6 billion to US$30 billion, according to IDB estimates. Including education and health would push this figure even higher. Financial investment alone is not enough to close this gap-it requires strategic planning, effective execution, and environmental and social safeguards that are practical and achievable within the context of small island and developing states.

At the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through the ONE Caribbean initiative, we work closely with countries in the region to promote investments in robust and resilient infrastructure. In the education and health sectors, our support focuses on protecting communities, strengthening early childhood learning, improving public health, and accelerating national development. This post outlines three key actions for designing an effective strategy to build resilient health and education infrastructure, using National Infrastructure Investment Plans (NIIPs) as a guiding tool.

Action 1: Take a Multisectoral Approach

Social infrastructure-such as schools and hospitals-relies on access to other types of infrastructure, including water and sanitation, electricity, and transportation. Governments must therefore develop structured investment plans and project portfolios with a multisectoral approach for the short, medium, and long term.

NIIPs help governments enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public investments. These plans identify opportunities in both new and existing infrastructure, aligned with national development strategies. They also support policy reform, institutional capacity building, and the technical studies needed to advance education and health infrastructure.

The IDB has identified six key themes that should be considered in education and health NIIPs, based on an analysis of national and sectoral development plans, policies, and strategies in the region (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Key Challenges for School and Health Infrastructure in the Caribbean

Action 2: Strengthen Data Availability and Capabilities

To make NIIPs effective, they must be grounded in data-not assumptions. Strengthening planning, information systems, and management capabilities is essential. These efforts enable strategic investment prioritization, gap reduction, and infrastructure that meets current and future needs. Key measures include:

• Assessing needs and developing strategic frameworks
• Strengthening asset databases
• Developing master plans and project portfolios
• Promoting partnerships with the private sector
• Providing financial, legal, and human resources to project management teams in the education and health sectors, enabling them to maintain existing infrastructure, deliver new infrastructure, and monitor progress toward national and sectoral development goals

Action 3: Incorporate Disaster Resilience

Resilience is critical to ensuring that education and health infrastructure can withstand and recover from disasters and extreme weather events. Evidence shows that for every US$1 invested in resilience, up to US$4 can be saved in recovery and reconstruction costs. Moreover, disaster-resilient investments ensure continued access to education and health services after adverse events.

In 2023, the IDB announced investments in education, health, and resilient infrastructure in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados. Beyond new investments, resilience must be embedded in NIIPs through the following actions:

1. Risk Identification: Assess threats and vulnerabilities affecting educational and health infrastructure, focusing on each facility's importance to the network. This enables prioritization based on criticality and exposure.
2. Resilient Design: Apply design standards that incorporate resilience measures-such as hurricane- and earthquake-resistant construction- to reduce risk to infrastructure and people. This applies not only to the design phase, but also to the proper supervision of construction and implementation of infrastructure.

1. Preventive Maintenance: Update asset inventories and establish preventive maintenance programs to keep infrastructure in optimal condition and operational during adverse events, guarantying continue services during crises.
2. Rebuild with Resilience: Enhance risk management and emergency response tools to support rapid and resilient response strategies for rebuilding and quickly restoring infrastructure and services. Train professionals and communities in resilience and emergency response practices.
3. Private Sector Integration: Foster coordination between public and private sectors using a network approach, recognizing the essential nature of education and health services. This supports planning for various risk scenarios and ensures service continuity.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar

Resilience in school and hospital infrastructure goes beyond construction. These facilities are pillars of human development and ensuring their continuity during and after disasters is vital to protecting progress in education and health, reducing inequality, and strengthening communities' capacity to withstand and recover from crises.

Developing robust NIIPs for education and health requires evidence-based planning and decision-making. Analyzing multisectoral and multidimensional infrastructure data is essential. Selective, intelligent, achievable, and transparent investments-aligned with national development goals and supported by government consensus-are key to successful NIIPs.

Thanks to growing evidence, we now know that investing in resilient education and health infrastructure not only improves quality of life but also strengthens the Caribbean's ability to face future challenges.

We invite you to share your experiences or initiatives to enrich this regional conversation.

This post also includes contributions from Mikael Gartner, Infrastructure and Building Code Expert.