About: Indigenous Pathways To Resilience

The purpose of this project is to use an Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and particularly Indigenous Psychology Approach, to investigate particularities around individuals’ use of IKS during adaptive coping processes (resilience). Core projects in which knowledge is generated for ‘Indigenous Pathways to Resilience’ is by means of (i) NRF-Incentive Funding for Rated Researchers, as well as the (ii) Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Imbeleko-project. We are following Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) tenets to co-generate data with participants. Participant selection is stratified around geographical region, gender, age and language.

Study area: Indigenous Pathways To Resilience

In the NRF-IPR project the 2012-2014 sites are rural, bounded system communities – TshiVenda and siSwati. Access to sites was leveraged via existing other projects (IMAGINE & FLY). In the full Imbeleko-project (1st and 2nd phases – 2013-2014) we will generate data in twelve Sub-Saharan Africa regions with participants representative as IKS-knowledge bearers (n=1 200, 100/region, older men=100 (25/region), older women=100 (25/region), younger men=100 (25/region), younger women=100 (25/region). In the 1st Imbeleko-phase we generate data in six Sub-Saharan Africa regions (Swaziland, Lesotho, four South African provinces: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, North-West, Limpopo) with participants (n=600, 100/region, older men=100 (25/region), older women=100 (25/region), younger men=100 (25/region), younger women=100 (25/region). In the 2nd Imbeleko-phase we generate data in an additional six in six Sub-Saharan Africa regions (Namibia, Botswana, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga) with additional participants (n=600, 100/region, older men=100 (25/region), older women=100 (25/region), younger men=100 (25/region), younger women=100 (25/region).

Role players: Indigenous Pathways To Resilience

The Indigenous Pathways to Resilience Doctoral Lab includes:

• Janna de Gouveia

• Raphael Akanmidu (Deceased 2016)

• Marlize Malan-Van Rooyen

• Tebogo Tsebe

• Tebuhleni Nxumalo was a research intern in the project and served as regional coordinator

UP-staff collaborating in this knowledge generation include:

• Prof Vanessa Scherman (UNISA)

• Dr Funke Omidire

• Dr Ruth Mampane

• Dr Monaheng Sefotho

• Dr Maitumeleng Ntho-Ntho

• Dr Tilda Loots

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