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 humaninduced disasters mainly due to their pre-existing disadvantages. The limited resources for a growing number of humanitarian responses requires a rethink 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 subgroups 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 x