Paper details
| Paper authors | Tirsit Sahledengle and Desalegn Amsalu |
| In panel on | ‘Real’ Humanitarian Governance: Accountability, Advocacy, and Alternatives |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
This research examines community-developed, otherwise indigenous, early warning
systems among Ethiopia’s South Omo communities. Data was gathered from March 4 – 17, 2024 among Karo and Daasanach communities, and from June 3 – 12 among
Nyangatom. The study included three participants from each of the three
communities and one official from the local administration representing each
community. Besides, interviews were conducted with one zonal official in Dimeka
from June 13 – 14 and with two federal government officials from July 1– 10 in
Addis Ababa. Additionally, three focus group discussions were held in each of the
study communities, with an average of six participants in each. A total of 72
individuals participated in this research as informants. A literature review was also
conducted to integrate our field data with the available academic and policy studies.
The findings show that hard-to-reach communities of South Omo are affected by
natural disasters, particularly flooding, and still rely on their Indigenous mechanism of
disaster risk reduction and emergency response. These communities have spiritual,
ecological, and technical knowledge of prediction and response to hazards such as
floods, drought, and large-scale conflicts. Focusing on flood disasters, this study
discussed the strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness of these mechanisms. The
strengths include their cultural relevance, community ownership, holistic nature, rapid
response, and social cohesion. Weaknesses include the subjective nature of the
knowledge, limited scalability, reliance on specific individuals, lack of documentation,
inadequate infrastructure, and lack of gender balance. The study suggested that it is
important to acknowledge the strengths of these systems and integrate them with
the formal system.
