Affected-community perceptions of the effectiveness of participatory development in the delivery of humanitarian aid for education in emergencies

Abstract

Humanitarian disasters are growing in frequency and are more unpredictable, partially as a result of climate change, with developing countries experiencing greater impacts from natural and human-induced disasters mainly due to their pre-existing disadvantages. The limited resources for a growing number of humanitarian responses requires a re-think in how to provide aid in a more effective and sustainable manner. Those most affected by the disasters, the primary stakeholders in humanitarian response, are the communities at the front line whose daily lives are impacted, and this includes sub-groups within communities who are traditionally relatively more disadvantaged within the same societies and communities. During humanitarian disasters, children are considered one of the most vulnerable groups, experiencing greater impact on social, mental and physical levels. Among others, the earthquakes in Nepal, in 2015, have had an extraordinary effect on the wellbeing of the children in the affected areas, resulting in their over-representation in metrics of loss of life and injury, and disrupting their daily routines such as education. It is estimated that up to 2,000,000 children had their education interrupted as a result of the disaster, requiring a prioritisation of education during disaster response activities. The purpose of this research is to respond to a gap in the literature and theories that support humanitarian action. There have been recent calls, through the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, and subsequent forums, to capitalise on the historical connections between development, disaster, and peace studies, or what is referred to as the nexus. By drawing on development theories, particularly participatory planning and development, and investigating Nepal’s post-Earthquake recovery responses, the thesis attempted to fill the knowledge gap and contribute to the emerging body of evidence that supports the nexus. It sought to gain an understanding of how aid organisations interact with affected communities to achieve quality humanitarian aid outcomes in disaster response. To meet this aim, it asked four main research questions that centre on the role of communities in the education disaster response, and the participatory nature of the relationship between aid organisations and affected communities. A case study approach was used, to explore how aid organisations conducted their humanitarian activities in a developing country context that was marked by a host of challenges, including an ethnically and linguistically diverse population, traditional community power structures, and geological barriers. By focusing on the Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal, which had experienced the greatest impact of the disaster, eight aid workers and 54 participants across six village areas throughout the district were interviewed and asked to share their experiences during the disaster response, through the lens of education aid. Sampling was aimed at increasing inclusivity in gender and ethnicity/caste, both groups that often experience exclusion from community decision-making. Education workers were included, primarily through the community-level School Management Committees that combine education workers and parents to make decisions over local education policy. What emerged through the research was that although there was widespread gratitude from communities that aid workers and organisations had come to help them, there was dissatisfaction in how that aid was delivered. Interview responses from communities centred their dissatisfaction on the organisations’ poor participatory processes that excluded local knowledge from disaster planning, and in the process failed to recognise the ownership and agency of communities and individuals directly affected. This contrasted with the perception of aid workers, who were confident that they had adopted a participatory approach that identified participation as an end in itself, with transformative and empowering outcomes. The contrasting views have led to several lessons and recommendations. Key among them is that, as this research has proven with specific examples, participatory development theories and community engagement initiatives are relevant to humanitarian aid and in case of developing country situations where both resources and expertise are limited, so too are development workers, both external and internal. This confirms the value of the nexus. Furthermore, including communities and their local knowledge in all aspects of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle is not only necessary, from a rights-based approach, but is also crucial for ensuring an efficient, people-centric sustainable humanitarian response. This requires humanitarian organisations to develop a deep understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of the communities in which they are delivering aid, to ensure that perspectives of participation between aid organisations and affected communities are aligned. It becomes even more relevant when considering the needs of particularly vulnerable groups, such as children, and how education plays a crucial role in their ability to recover from the impact of disasters.