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Floods and Droughts through a Gendered Lens;
mitigating strategies for w/g/b/m in Malawi
TOPS (Technical Operational Performance Support) Research Findings
Dr Alinane Kamlongera GOAL Regional Gender Advisor
8th July, 2015
Background Prediction that climate change will
have a graver effect on Africa.
In Malawi hundreds of thousands
face food insecurity.
Due to recurring climatic hazards,
the Malawi Government has put in
place disaster risk management
structures.
However, there remains a gap
between the structures awareness
of their roles.
GOAL Malawi
Since 2002
Within it’s work with DISCOVER and
other projects GOAL Malawi
observed a gap
A research study was proposed and
accepted through TOPS
TOPS Research
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the impact of gendered vulnerability to climate change and
disasters on the food security of women, girls, boys and men.
Develop guidelines and recommendations based on the research findings
for resilience programing specific to food security, which will in turn
strengthen disaster preparedness, prevention, response and mitigation
measures appropriate and relevant for women, girls, boys and men.
Methodology
Qualitative methods
Desk Review of Literature
FGDs with Women, Men, Boys and Girls
Case Studies of W/M/B/G in Evacuation Camps
Key Informant Interviews with Government personnel, GBV Technical Working
Group
WEAI (Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index)
Feedback Meetings at National and District levels
Input on the recommendations at international level
Quantitative methods
Questionnaire with demographic information and key questions around
experience of droughts and floods
In January 2015, heavy
rainstorms and floods
were experienced in 15
out of 28 districts in
Malawi.
638,000 were affected of
which 230,000 were
displaced, 104 confirmed
dead.
The three worst affected
districts are Nsanje,
Chikwawa and Phalombe.
Nsanje reports the
highest number of
displaced and persons
missing and those feared
dead.
Data collection Nsanje Neno BT Rural Focus group
discussions T/A Ndamera: Floods and Droughts
Chitomeni, Thaundi, Mchacha, Mtema and Jimu
Women: 40 Men: 65 Boys: 50 Girls: 50
T/A Symon: Floods and Droughts
Symon, Kasamba, Somisomi, Mtengula and
Gwenyama
Women: 50 Men: 50 Boys: 56 Girls: 46
T/A Ntanja: Droughts/Dry spells
Kuntanja, Kesinala, Siyamdima, Nseule and
Malizani
Women: 50 Men: 46 Boys: 38 Girls: 35
T/A Mbenje: Floods and Droughts
Mbenje, Anne Petro, Kadyamba, Sojini and Bande
Women: 56 Men: 27 Boys: 35 Girls : 39
T/A Mlauli: Floods and Droughts
Felemu, Msalawatha, Golden, Chimpanzi
and Magaleta
Women: 55 Men: 55 Boys: 49 Girls: 43
T/A Lundu: Floods
Lundu, Kamwire, Lunguzi William and Malume
Women: 53 Men: 45 Boys: 50 Girls: 45
Key Informant
interviews ADDRMO (Assistant District Disaster Risk Management
Officer)/ Representative
ADDRMO (Assistant District Disaster Risk
Management Officer)/ Representative
ADDRMO (Assistant District Disaster Risk
Management Officer)/ Representative
DADO (District Agriculture Development Officer)/
Representative
DADO (District Agriculture Development
Officer)/ Representative
DADO (District Agriculture Development Officer)/
Representative
DCDO/Social Welfare (District Community Development
Officer)/ Representative
DCDO/Social Welfare (District Community
Development Officer)/ Representative
DCDO/Social Welfare (District Community
Development Officer)/ Representative
Representative from the Gender Based Violence
Technical Working Group
Representative from the Gender Based
Violence Technical Working Group
Representative from the Gender Based Violence
Technical Working Group
A community representative from the Village Civil
Protection Committee (VCPC)
A community representative from the
Village Civil Protection Committee (VCPC)
A community representative from the Village Civil
Protection Committee (VCPC)
Evacuation camps
case studies Marka, Bitilinyu, Nyachilenda, Magoti,
5 women, 5 girls, 5 boys and 5 men
DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender Group Total Number
of participants
Maximum age Minimum age Average age
Men 277 92 18 50
Women 304 80 18 39
Girls 292 26 10 14
Boys 295 28 9 17
FINDINGS
Findings on Disaster reduction –
Communication of Impending Events-
Droughts and floods Women Men
By looking at the intensity of the wind
Late rains and very heavy rains
By listening to the radio
From village criers
From village meetings
Over flowing of certain rivers at particular times
From other people within the village
From district committees
The chiefs counsellor
Radio
Newspapers
Through campaigns run by NGO’s
Through agriculture extension workers
Observation of their harvests
Government awareness campaigns
NGOS
The internet
Indigenous knowledge
“ The constant falling of a particular specie of
catepillars (nthowa)” (GVH Felemu men’s FGD)
Findings on Disaster reduction –
Communication of Impending Events
Girls
From radios
From the television
From their parents
From relatives
From the elderly
From community committees
From studying the weather
Boys
Radio
Ministry of Agriculture through awareness campaigns
Agriculture extension workers
NGO’s awareness campaigns
From chiefs at community meetings
CBO’s, Community Based Children’s care
Indigenous knowledge
Change of weather
Fuko newspaper
Climate change offices
Women crossing a flooded river to get to a trading centre
Universal Findings: on how they prepare They increase their household capital
Establishment of small businesses
They engage in modern farming techniques
They renting land in the wetlands
Planting drought resistant crops, planting species of trees that conserve water
Practice agroforestry
Storing and rationing food
Building make-shift leeves
Transfer of property to upper lands
Renting canoes
Keeping livestock to sell during disasters
They eat Nyika (water lilies)
Some do not prepare
Gendered findings: on how they prepare
Women
Women preserve vegetables
Managing family consumption
Join savings and loans groups
They remind their husbands to prepare
for floods
They adopt family planning methods
“We take contraceptives to avoid
unplanned pregnancies that led to
increased mouths to feed” (Women FGD,
GVH Kesinala)
Men
They rent land in the wet lands
They look for farm tools
They buy supplementary food
They build houses/ structures upland
They encourage their wives to save food
They migrate to Jambawe Mozambique
Gendered findings: on how they prepare
Girls
They drop out of school
They rely on their parents
Boys
They help their parents
They do no prepare
The effects of climate change on crops
Findings on Disaster response-Universal
experiences of disasters Casual labour becomes scarce
Sleeping hungry
Commodities become expensive
A lack of basic necessities
Increased incidences of theft
A noticeable presence of the disabled
The choice of food they eat
The risks that lie with gathering Nyika
and banana roots
A change in sleeping patterns
Idleness and boredom
Some people suffer from nutrition
related diseases
There is a lot of absenteeism from
school and homework is not done
The painful experience of floods
Not enough tents within camps
Being embarrassed for having to
escape naked
They sleep without mosquito nets at
the camps
Shared bathroom spaces
Gendered experiences of disasters Women Men
No balanced diet for pregnant and lactating women
Problems with accessing antenatal services
An increase women’s workload
Couples do not have intimate relations
Child care is compromised
Challenges in the usage of toilets within camps by
pregnant women
A lack of trust among couples
Not enough sleeping spaces- children with women
Women become promiscuous
“Most women have become promiscuous and have
changed their way of dressing to attract men so that
they have something to eat at the end of the day” (Men
FGD, Siyamdima)
Wives disobey their
husbands and become rude
Men do not spend enough
time with their families
Men are unable to take part
in development
Men feel helpless and they
feel they have failed their
families
They fail to be intimate with
their resort to sleeping with
prostitutes
They fail to give their
children the basic
necessities
Marriages are shaken
Gendered experiences of disasters Girls Boys
Some girls said they drop out of school
Parents no longer encourage girls to go to
school
Some girls are mean and irritable
Girls do not get to play
Girls are forced to bath once or not at all during
dry spells
Girls resort to prostitution
Absence from school as boys go looking for
casual work.
Insulted by friends when they visit
An increase in the workload
“We worry that some responsibilities that were
our fathers will fall on us at a young age, as boys
we also get to do more work than everyone else
because we are boys which affects our health. At
other times there are circumstances where we are
sent out of our parents houses to stay in our own
house so that the number of mouths to feed is
minimised” Boys FGD, Sorgin, Mbenje.
Peer pressure
No time to socialise with friends/girlfriends
A lack of respect between father and son
Toilets at the camp
Quotations/recommendations from the
Community-on disaster recovery “…Women are at a great disadvantage especially those with more children,
because they have to look for food. Where women sacrifice their beddings to
give them to children while men do not care”…there are more widows, most
women are divorced/ separated, a lot of men run away from marriages and since
men are polygamous”
Women FGD, Kadyamba, Mbenje.
“Now we are receiving aid but there will be a time when food aid will stop being
given, we are afraid of that time, what will we do when that time comes, our
fears are about how we are to provide for our children. How to give them the
basic necessities because at this point I have no money or property and when my
child asks for something for example shoes I cannot give him anything because I
have nothing… I also fear for my marriage because soon enough my wife will
perceive me as a failure because I cannot provide her with what she is used to
and there are other men who want to take advantage of my failing because they
have money…And what of my children, will they not decide to become
prostitutes just so that they can buy the basic things” Mens FGD, Chitomeni,
Ndamera.
“The committees should include boys in their meetings and programmes as this
will ensure that boys’ ideas are represented in the committees. This will also hel
p in building the boys knowledge of their communities which will help them in b
ecoming better community leaders in the future…We would also like to be given
livestock or loans to start-up businesses which we can give back thereafter”
Boys FGD, Mchancha, Ndamera.
“Yes we are different, when girls face hardships they opt for early marriages or
engage in prostitution, when a boy impregnates a girl it is a girl who drops out
of school and suffer the consequences, girls are also given more household
chores than boys at the same time we are forced to do the household chores
whilst the boys are sent to school”
Girls FGD, Anne Petro, Mbenje.
Final recommendations DROUGHTS
Agriculture:
Female and male farmers should be encouraged as part of
government/INGO/civil society led agriculture interventions to diversify crops
e.g. plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes as this facilitates multiple harvests
throughout the seasonal calendar reflecting the differing growing and
harvesting seasons of different crops. Drought tolerant crops should also be
prioritized as well as nutrition sensitive agriculture. Government/INGO/civil
society led organizations who engage in seed distribution should ensure
timelines for distributions are in line with seasonal calendar taking specific
account of expected.
Final recommendations
Child Protection
The value of education for all children, in particular girls who are
disproportionally disadvantaged in terms of school enrolment and completion,
should be taught to parents to avoid negative coping mechanisms in times of
disaster e.g. drought. Such negative coping mechanisms may include early
marriage for young girls. The Designing for Behaviour Change approach could
assist in identifying barriers and motivators.
Final recommendations
FLOODS
Preparedness
The safety of younger children and people with disabilities should be included
in decision making to ensure the constructive participation of all stakeholders
(women, men, boys and girls). The participation of all stakeholders should
also include recommendations from all, to help make collective decisions on
locating land for suitable habitation.
Education
Provision of entertainment and edutainment should form part of camp
management and protection protocol in displacement settings. Topics such as
sexual and reproductive health should be included.
Impact on GOAL programming
Our response to disasters e.g. lighting within the camps, mosquito nets,
toilets
Our implementation of programme activities will take into consideration the
different experiences of males and females e.g. livelihoods programmes
Our decisions on what sort of proposals we seek out is influenced by the
recommendations e.g. Pa Mawa
Comments and Questions
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