Dynamic livelihoods in conflict and recurrent crises: stories of change from Ethiopia and South Sudan

Understanding the dynamics of change is important. In places affected by recurrent crises and conflict, we know from experience that people’s livelihoods are dynamic. In the face of uncertainty, many people look to reinvent their livelihoods; they may innovate, copy, change or adapt. But those seeking to support them, i.e. their governments and the aid sector, do not always seek to understand the changes which people are already making, or the opportunities and the constraints they face in doing so. This may be leading to loss of focus on the needs and interests of the people those external actors are seeking to support.

This research presents the personal accounts of a number of people who have attempted to make changes and who have achieved some degree of success. Not everyone has such stories to tell. But documenting these selected stories offers policy-makers and others a different way of approaching the livelihoods of people affected by crises and conflict. It demonstrates that those challenged by uncertainty are not passive victims – rather, they are using their own agency to navigate crises and, where opportunity allows, seeking to advance their lives.