Building community climate resilience: A guide for primary care providers.

Abstract

Climate hazards pose a threat to health and health services throughout Africa. They directly affect the primary care provider's clinic operations and patient morbidities like vector-borne and heat-related illnesses. Within a community-orientated primary care approach, primary care providers can assist communities to evaluate their vulnerabilities and capacities and identify the key risks. This article is based on a participatory action reflection (PAR) process (reflection, planning, action, observation of action) conducted by the author in Matsaudi Village, Botswana. A small village community on the edge of the Okavango Delta. Under reflection in the PAR cycle, several steps are described: (1) community and stakeholder engagement, (2) information gathering, (3) identification of vulnerabilities, capacities and risks through workshops on exposure to climate hazards, institutional assets, and the pathways from hazards to health and social effects. The process led to an action plan with both short- and long-term prioritised solutions. This stepwise template from Matsaudi Village enables primary health care providers to sustainably build climate-resilient communities.