Thais Costa
Inclusive Response
Light for the World approached Butterfly Works to collaborate on a pioneering research project aimed at identifying the needs of people with disabilities and the elderly, and co-creating actionable opportunities for inclusive humanitarian response in disaster-prone regions of Mozambique. In response, we designed and implemented a participatory design research process called the Exploration Lab. This initiative utilised context-specific tools to empower the target groups to actively engage as researchers of their own lived experiences, ensuring their voices and perspectives were central to the process.
​
My Role:
I remotely guided a team of in-country design thinking experts from our partner organisation, Inkdot, who led the workshop sessions with the target groups in the disaster-affected regions of Beira and Buzi. By working alongside local participants, we were able to design solutions that are not only inclusive but also practical and deeply rooted in the realities of those most affected.
Company/ partners
Output
An insights report and opportunities roadmap: the most viable and relevant opportunities to take forward.
Location
Mozambique
Date
2021
The design challenge
This project took place in Sofala Province, Mozambique, a region heavily impacted by Cyclone Idai in 2019, which caused widespread agricultural losses, infrastructure damage, and the destruction of assets and livelihoods. The enduring effects of the cyclone, compounded by the region’s vulnerability to flooding and the added strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, created a complex environment for tackling inclusive preparedness challenges.
​
Through participatory research, our goal was to explore how people with disabilities and older individuals in Mozambique are informed or warned about impending humanitarian disasters. Additionally, we aimed to identify the key barriers these groups face in accessing and participating in humanitarian actions.
Ensuring that people with disabilities and older adults are meaningfully included early in the humanitarian preparedness process is essential. Such inclusive practices will foster stronger community structures and more effective processes for informing and involving these groups in disaster preparedness and response efforts.
The outcome
A total of 40 individuals, including those with visual, auditory, and physical disabilities, as well as elderly participants, joined our Research Families.
​
The Exploration Lab empowered people with disabilities and elderly individuals to become researchers of their own lives by sharing their experiences and offering valuable insights into their motivations and needs. Through the use of creative methods and customized design research tools—such as communication maps, diaries, and photo collections—we gathered information about their daily lives and their experiences during the COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai humanitarian crises. These methods were designed to be both safe and accessible, allowing participants to express themselves in meaningful ways.
​
To ensure that our insights translated into actionable, sustainable humanitarian outcomes, we provided design thinking training for Disability Inclusion Facilitators—facilitators with disabilities working at our partner organizations. These facilitators also played a key role as co-facilitators during the workshop sessions, helping guide the design research activities. This approach ensured long-term ownership of the outcomes by people with disabilities and elderly participants, fostering their commitment to the uptake and implementation of the findings.
As a morning check in, participants are given modeling clay and are asked to represent their feeling at that moment.
Visualisation of the ideal user journey of each participant in relation to the experience of Cyclone Idai.
Participants reflect and envision a future where people with disabilities and the elderly have more autonomy, voice, access and independence.