Pathways to Resilience IV: Global South Perspectives

The state of African resilience: Understanding dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation-a report from ResilientAfrica Network (RAN)
Presenter: Julius Ssentongo (Makerere University School of Public Health-ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), Uganda)
Co-Authors: WIlliam Bazeyo, Olalekan Abdulwahab Ayo-Yusuf, Roy William Mayega, Ky Luu 
Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa has registered substantial economic gains however these are constantly threatened by several disasters. For instance, East Africa is grappling with the effects of climate variability such as drought and floods while in Southern Africa, HIV/AIDS pandemic adds a layer of hardship on already poor and food insecure households.
Methods: The qualitative data collection process was modeled on a methodology established and tested by Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Using a resilience assessment framework, qualitative interviews were conducted though Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews with selected stakeholders including development partners and the affected communities among others. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and latent content analysis was done to distill the causes of vulnerability as well as coping and adaptive capacities of the communities to the different shocks/stresses. The data was condensed into dimensions of resilience and these were subsequently used to construct the priority pathways to resilience. 
Findings: Nine dimensions were generated and these holistically describe the resilience of the surveyed communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The dimensions include: wealth, health, infrastructure, human capital, social capital/networks, governance, psychosocial, natural resources, and security. These dimensions have been further quantitatively studied and have informed the second state of Africa resilience report.