An autoethnography of disaster response work with low-income communities in KZN: Implications for Afrocentric social work

Abstract

The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, is no stranger to adversities. Between 2020 and 2022, KZN faced overlapping disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, episodes of looting and catastrophic floods. These disasters had multifaceted consequences for low-income communities. During the disasters, social work academics/practitioners provided psycho-social support to communities while working with a community engagement research centre, the MA’AT Institute, located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Adopting an autoethnographic methodology, we provide insights into the experiences of working in low-income communities during disasters. Based on these reflections, we suggest that social workers should often adopt a culturally sensitive approach to disaster response, poverty alleviation and the protection of human rights. We further highlight the complexities of community engagement in disaster-stricken areas when attempting to meet specific goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as no poverty, zero hunger and climate action. We call for adopting an Afrocentric and culturally responsive approach to strengthen the resilience of low-income communities in the face of disaster-related adversity.