From risk to resilience: reimagining DRR education for vulnerable children in South Africa and the SADC region

Children across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) face disproportionate climate vulnerability, with recent studies indicating 2– 3 times higher risk exposure than adults. Despite global commitments under the Sendai Framework, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education remains fragmented, under-resourced, and exclusionary. Fewer SADC schools have implemented comprehensive DRR programmes, and few teachers receive relevant training. This study examines systemic failures in child-centered DRR education across SADC, interrogates the gap between policy aspirations and implementation, and identifies evidence-based pathways for transformative reform. Employing Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an analytical lens, we conducted a systematic literature review synthesizing peer-reviewed scholarship (2010–2024), regional policy documents, and international case studies from Cuba, Iran, and the Philippines. Comparative analysis across South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Madagascar examined curriculum integration, teacher capacity, infrastructure resilience, and child participation. Stark implementation deficits emerged: 75% of SADC schools lack DRR- trained staff; 63% of national disaster plans omit child-specific protocols; and only 11% of schools conduct annual drills compared to 100% in the Philippines. Language exclusion proved lethal in Madagascar; cyclone warnings in French, incomprehensible to 90% of Malagasy-speaking children, contribute to 40% higher child mortality. Yet innovation exists: Zambia’s peer-led “Disaster Clubs” improved first-aid retention by 68%; Mozambique’s student-designed early warning systems reduced evacuation times by 53%; and VISUS-retrofitted schools withstood Cyclone Idai at 94% integrity vs. 41% of unassessed schools. Current approaches constitute systemic child protection failure. Transformative shifts require mandatory teacher training, linguistically localized materials, child participation as co-creators, and risk-informed infrastructure investment.