A sensitivity to sensitisation: a case study of participatory approaches within government-mandated climate resettlement in Malawi

Research suggests that extreme weather will increase and impact more and more people. This has led a growing number of governments to consider resettling vulnerable populations. Resettlement is a novel strategy to manage disasters. Due to the infancy of resettlement as a strategy to adapt to environmental change there is debate about the best approach. However, one area of agreement is that resettlement should be voluntary and participatory. Despite an extensive literature on participation and its future, there are still difficulties preventing participation occurring in practice. In-depth interviews about the resettlement decision were held with three flooding-impacted communities and stakeholders in government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Malawi. The research shows how government and NGOs use sensitisation as a technique to determine the knowledge of those in flooding-vulnerable communities. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the way in which sensitisation can contribute to a participatory approach. Sensitisation is often spoken of as synonymous with education. This research finds that government and NGOs use sensitisation mainly as part of a one-way process of disseminating their perspective to communities, with little or no opportunity for community members to make their voices heard and for resettlement to be participatory.