Abstract
The policy thrust of disaster risk reduction initiatives is in many instances tailored towards able-bodied people. This is at the expense of those challenged in many facets such as physically, mentally and other forms of disability. The suggestion for disability to be mainstreamed into disaster risk reduction initiatives has been made imperative by the late shift in hazard and disaster thinking at local, national and international levels. The increasing intensity and frequency of weather-related hazards and disasters, driven by climate change, has provided fertile ground on which mainstreaming ideas and policies have proved to be incongruent. This research paper focuses on two key topics in the disaster science field: pre-disaster risk reduction planning and post-disaster emergency response activities. It is based on experiences from disaster risk reduction projects in Bulilima and Mangwe districts in southern Zimbabwe between 2006 and 2014. A qualitative research methodology was employed, and data were collected using in-depth personal interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Both able-bodied people and people living with disabilities (PWDs) were part of the study. Main findings show that PWDs were not included in the formulation of disaster risk reduction measures. Other important findings were the variable nature of how people define or view disability, and even believe that disability has a purpose. Most of the so-called normal people lack the understanding of what constitutes a disaster to such an extent that even disability is regarded as a disaster. The paper unravels the need to have a relook that would bring PWDs into the centre of civil protection decision-making and policy formulation in Zimbabwe.Keywords: disability; disaster risk reduction; disaster; vulnerability; Zimbabwe.
Highlights
I do not accept the notion that am not able to always fully participate in projects that help us develop the community
The implication of these findings clearly shows that disaster reduction programmes were not inclusive of PWDs and did not effectively promote both participation and socioeconomic independence of PWDs
While people with disabilities have rights like any other individuals, and communities preach about equality in every sense, it is evident from this discussion that including disability issues in DRR in Zimbabwe is more of an illusion than a reality
Summary
An interpretivist–constructivist paradigm was used to guide the research; qualitative data were collected to understand the phenomenon of non-inclusion of PWDs in DRR programmes. The study area, Bulilima and Mangwe in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe, is characterised by recurring disasters associated with droughts, animal disease–associated insect infestation and high levels of food insecurity (Government of Zimbabwe and United Nations Development Programme 2012). This is against a background where it is regarded as one of the driest regions in the country, making cattle ranching as the main livelihood. Like any other province of Zimbabwe, disasters in Matabeleland South have been compounded by HIV and AIDS pandemic, thereby lowering productivity
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