The Human Resilience Project Sets Out on Explorers Club Flag Expedition to Kenya to Reveal Global Lessons in Survival, Hope, and Human Strength
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SEATTLE - Washingtoner -- With the iconic Explorers Club flag in hand and the backing of a Rolex Watch Expedition, Dr. Constance Scharff, a veteran field researcher and intrepid adventurer, is launching a bold new chapter in her lifelong quest to understand the roots of human resilience.

The Human Resilience Project, a globe-spanning investigation into how people endure—and thrive—amid climate chaos and trauma, begins its journey in the Chalbi Desert of northern Kenya, home to the Gabra, a nomadic people who have withstood both conflict and drought for generations, but are seeing new challenges based on a changing climate. This launch marks the first phase of a multi-continent, multi-year exploration of what it means to survive with dignity, optimism, and hope in environments becoming inhospitable to human life.

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For over two decades, Dr. Scharff, a member of The Explorers Club, has trekked through more than 40 countries, living alongside some of the most isolated communities on Earth. Now, as principal investigator of The Human Resilience Project, she is setting out with an all-woman team to map the psychological and cultural pathways that fuel resilience in the face of adversity—from desert nomads to Arctic herders, Pacific Islanders to Amazonian tribes.

"The climate crisis is the great challenge of our time, and the answers we seek may come from the deserts, jungles, and mountaintops where people have long lived with adversity and know how to pivot," said Dr. Scharff. "This expedition isn't just about survival. It's about discovering the human spirit's greatest asset: resilience."

In Kenya, the team will work alongside Dr. Paul Robinson's team, a group that has spent over 40 years documenting the Gabra's deep knowledge of drought survival. From there, the expedition will trace threads of resilience through a wide array of communities, including the Inuit of Greenland, the Sami of Scandinavia, the Māori of New Zealand, the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon, and others in Bhutan, Hawaii, Israel, Chile, and Indonesia.

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Throughout, the team will engage with traditional healers, community elders, and local NGOs to uncover shared strategies of emotional endurance, intergenerational wisdom, and cultural adaptation. The ultimate goal: to translate these findings into tools that support global mental health and empower humanity's response to climate disruption.

The Human Resilience Project is proud to carry the distinction of both an Explorers Club Flag Expedition and a Rolex Watch Expedition—a rare honor given only to journeys of historic and scientific merit.

This research initiative is affiliated with the California Institute for Human Science.

For updates, field dispatches, or to learn how you can support the expedition, visit www.thrproject.com.