Vulnerability analysis involves identifying the disasters people are most vulnerable to (for example, floods, conflict, drought, earthquakes, landslides and loss of productive ecosystems or natural resources); the groups that are most affected in such situations; their problems; and institutions that can help them.

Participatory tools for vulnerability analysis

• Seasonal calendar - A seasonal calendar can be used to look at seasonal vulnerabilities faced by the community members.
• Vulnerability map - A vulnerability map can be used to look at the different vulnerabilities faced by people in different parts of the community.
• Problem tree - A problem tree can be used to analyse the cause and effects of different disasters and crises.

Some key questions for vulnerability analysis

• What exposes people to vulnerability in this context?
• Is this location exposed to floods, conflict, drought or earthquakes? If so, how are people’s rights affected when these occur?
• What types of violations do women face in different situations in any of these disasters?
• For the key rights violations you have prioritised, analyse:
• where violations happen
• when they started and how often they happen
• who experiences violations most severely (men, women, boys, girls or the elderly?)
• who is/are the main perpetrator(s) of the violation(s)?
• What impact do these violations have on you or on women in your community? What have you, as a community, done in the past and what are you doing now?
• What have other people or organisations done, or what are they currently doing, to address the problem?
• Who do you think is responsible for resolving the issue?
• What do you think they should be doing to resolve the issue?
• What structures are in place to resolve this problem?
• Do you have access to and support from these structures?
• Are the services working or not? If not, why not?
• What actions can be taken to respond to the causes and effects of the violations at community, national and international level?
• How do we assess progress of the actions?
• Whose responsibility is it to monitor progress and who should the progress be reported to?
• What has been the nature of climate change in the area? How has it affected people? And what impact has this had on women specifically?

References

• Communication & Power, ActionAid, 2003.
• People’s Action in Practice, ActionAid, 2012, p. 215.
• PVAA Guide, ActionAid, 2009.