Faith-based organisations and disaster management in informal urban Accra
Drawing on a qualitative approach and situated in a disaster-vulnerable community of Dome, Greater Accra, this paper unpacks the activities of Faith-based Organisations (FBOs) in filling the voids in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster risks in African cities are compounding due to the triple convergence of climate change impacts, unplanned urbanisation, and entrenched socio-spatial inequities. Disaster events are, therefore, common with disproportionate impacts on informal residents yet resting within reactive and extremely limited disaster management regime that leaves behind many voids in disaster risk reduction.
Findings indicated that FBOs play a crucial role in disaster preparation, response, and recovery by providing social support, disseminating information, and facilitating participation in disaster risk reduction activities through community-driven and religiously motivated activities that fill the void left by weaknesses in formal disaster management regimes. FBOs are strongly connected to the local communities and have a wealth of knowledge and practices that help shape disaster management practices. Authors suggest embedding community-based multi-actor disaster risk reduction in the disaster management programmes of governmental institutions. Second, layered on the multi-actor framework is the need for a new platform for the experimentation of initiatives involving resources from governmental agencies and FBOs.