Building Community, Researching Community I

Abstract: The environmental crisis has emerged as a key driver of population displacement and cross-border migration for the foreseeable future. But, environmental injustice is particularly meted out to the women of the Global South because their livelihoods are completely dependent on environmental resources. Factors like gender discrimination, poverty and population density place these women at disparate levels of risks in the vulnerability calculus and cause oppression across different scales of migration- extending from local to international. Bangladesh being one of the most disaster-prone countries of the world, this research focusses on the irregular migration of Bangladeshi women to metropolitan cities of India because of the porous borders, historical ties and cultural commonalities. It also enquires into the difficult living and working conditions that these women endure post-migration owing to their undocumented status and gender identity. The research further questions the success of these migrations by pointing out the inadequate governmental data and international policy loopholes as a result of which these women do not receive any legal protection. Thus, in this scenario of institutional failure, it analyses the community-led grassroots adaptation strategies as well as measures taken by these women for building gender-transformative resilience in the face of various environmental challenges.

Abstract: My thesis is about a qualitative exploratory study of kinship carers and kin-placed children amongst the Asante in Ghana, West Africa. There is no research that has been completed regarding kinship care amongst the Asante, so this research study therefore sought to explore the nature, experiences and issues involved in kinship care amongst the Asante. In-depth interviews were carried out with 37 participants comprising 16 kinship carers, 16 kin-placed children and five social workers, all of whom had knowledge about kinship care. The research was underpinned by Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory and participation theory. The kinship carers’ social roles and responsibility manifested through the concepts of reciprocity, altruism, socio-genealogical connectedness, permanence, and Hamilton’s rule (1964) and Afrocentricity. The key findings included; the daily life of the kinship carers and kin-placed children, perceived benefits of kinship care to kinship carers, kin-placed children and social workers, challenges of kinship care and support available for kinship carers and kin-placed children. The findings have been discussed and knowledge gained from this study has been used to suggest the need to improve social work practice with kinship carers and kin-placed children.