Poverty & Social Resilience

Monday, 05 May 2008 18:00 administrator
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Julian Page of the Livingstone Tanzania Trust has this to say about social resilience:

"In thinking of poverty and a measurement of poverty there are various measurement tools, wealth, accessibility to power and to institutions, social invisibility and vulnerability. Within this context social resilience is about elasticity, or "bounce-back-ability".  When external factors impact on a community then it's social resilience is how it brings itself back to life, be it after famine, tsunami, earthquake or war. The greater the poverty the less able a community is to regroup, deal with the challenges ahead.

For example the tourist destinations of Thailand recovered signifantly faster than the communities in Indonesia or India. Their wealth and wealth potential allowed those commuinities to move forward faster, some are still struggling today.

It would be wrong to suggest however that poverty alone is the answer, because sitting behind it is a hugely important factor, culture. Is your culture passive or submissive? Is your culture individualistic or collective? Is your culture more male or female in it's characteristics? "
 
Julian Page - The Livingstone Tanzania Trust 
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 May 2008 21:04 )