Building transformative capacity in southern Africa : surfacing knowledge and challenging structures through participatory vulnerability and risk assessments

Participatory assessments that recognise the social roots of vulnerability are critical in helping individuals and institutions rethink their understanding of, and responses to climate change impacts. This paper interrogates the contribution of Oxfam’s ‘Vulnerability and Risk Assessment’ methodology to enabling transformation at both personal and institutional levels. Capacity building should not be exclusively understood as, or aimed solely at building technical skills; leadership and process facilitation skills are key elements. The assessments take an initial step towards collaboratively identifying transformation pathways in development practices through adaptation responses