Disaster an Act of God or is it?: Is there Any Place for Women in Disaster Mitigation? Lessons for Africa Going Forward
Author : Misheck P Chingozha and Yeyukai Chingozha
Abstract :
The possibility of disasters within communities is just apparent and need all progressive institutional authorities to adopt appropriate chemistry mechanisms that seek to guarantee the survival of such communities out of the disasters. As much as disasters cannot be eliminated totally there is need to sufficiently mitigate the disaster effects. While it is widely agreed that disasters are an act of God, for which communities need to gracefully embrace, the view cannot go unchallenged in the face of the impacts on the vulnerable groups. As much as some disasters are natural, local wisdom is important and can be used to deal with disasters. Through this local wisdom which is a social capital to meet their need in the form of traditional knowledge, norms, rules, and skills that has been passed through generations. Disasters have been experienced in Africa since time immemorial. They have left so much property destroyed, people maimed and killed. The impact on vulnerable groups particularly women has been severe yet they are excluded from the disaster mitigation, preparedness and recovery interventions within communities. The disasters have been known to cause unprecedented disruptions to community functionalities. The effects of such disruptions have ravaged the serenity of communities. The current status quo in which women are regarded as ‘the other’ needs to be interrogated with the view of fostering inclusive interventions. Without inclusivity, the future of communities will remain bleak.
Keywords :
Women, disaster, vulnerability, disaster mitigation, inclusivity
